Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Digital Technology

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 329 of his Departmental Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, how much and what proportion of the £432 million allocated for NHS technology programmes was used for (a) improvements for managing and sharing digital patient records between health care providers across the country, (b) transforming remote monitoring of patients and (c) raising digital maturity; what the outcomes of that expenditure was; and whether external suppliers were contracted for the purposes of delivering that work.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Staff

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS England's policy is on hybrid working arrangements for (a) medical and (b) non-medical staff; and whether NHS England has made an assessment of the potential impact of working from home for up to (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three and (iv) four days a week on levels of work productivity.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prescriptions: Safety

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescription errors were recorded by NHS trusts in 2023; and how many were recorded as causing patient harm.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nitrous Oxide: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take further steps to help prevent the use of nitrous oxide.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alcoholic Drinks: Sales

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to restrict the location of sale of alcohol.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Correspondence

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5802 on Department of Health and Social Care: Correspondence, for what reason has a response not been provided within the statutory timeframe; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report prepared by Coroner Andrew Cox on 23 November 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims on (a) MMR, (b) Covid-19 and (c) all other vaccinations have been made to the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in each of the last three years; and how many of each are awaiting a decision as of 1 February 2024.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board: Finance

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2024 to Question 7731 on Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board: Dental Services, what the impact of IFRS16 was on the capital departmental expenditure limit (CDEL) for the NHS; and of that how much was (a) to compensate for impacts on primary care provision and (b) allocated to Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire Integrated Care Board.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the Oxford–AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine Vaxzevria was withdrawn from general public administration in the UK; and for what reason.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Autism and Learning Disability: Housing

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital funding NHS England plans to make available for housing for people with a learning disability and autism in the 2024-25 financial year; and if she will make an estimate of the number of people who will be provided housing through this funding.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Supply Chain: Staff

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) full and (b) part time NHS Supply Chain employees were of what (i) grade and (ii) salary band in the last financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Supply Chain: Staff

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time staff were employed by NHS Supply Chain in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Supply Chain: Staff

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total salary cost was of NHS Supply Chain employees in the 2022-23 financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Integrated Care Boards

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards delivered value-based activity of at least 104% of the 2019/20 baseline in 2022/23; and which Integrated Care Boards did not.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health support for veterans.

Maria Caulfield: Op COURAGE is the bespoke mental health pathway for veterans offering evidence-based treatment interventions, commissioned by NHS England. Monitoring and performance management of the system is for NHS England as commissioners of the service.NHS England meets with the providers of Op COURAGE through the contract management route to discuss how the service is being delivered. This includes understanding how the service responds to the number of referrals it receives and a range of other quality measures, including service user feedback. As part of routine clinical practice, providers of Op COURAGE undertake pre and post treatment assessment at an individual patient level to ensure the effectiveness of treatment. The Department has made no additional assessment of the adequacy of mental health support for veterans.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of continuous glucose monitoring for people with type-1 diabetes; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to increase access to that monitoring.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment that 20% of people with type 1 diabetes would benefit from life changing flash glucose monitors. Data up to the third quarter of 2022/23 shows that 73% of people with type 1 diabetes were prescribed flash glucose monitoring, against the 20% target. As a result of the recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance that also recommended that insulin dependent patients with type 2 diabetes should benefit from flash or continuous glucose monitoring devices, we are now starting to see a growth in prescription within the type 2 diabetes patient group.Variation ratio in prescribing between the most and least affluent Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintiles has been monitored on a quarterly basis. Variation between these IMD quintiles has reduced in every English region. When the programme started, Flash was twice as likely to be prescribed to patients living in the most affluent areas. The current ratio between most and least affluent geographies is now at a ratio of 1 to 1.02, meaning there is virtually parity between the most and least deprived patient groups across England.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the withdrawal of ear syringing procedures by GPs on patient wellbeing in the West Midlands.

Andrea Leadsom: Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection. NICE takes account of the potential benefits and risks of treatments to patients when developing its recommendations and sets them out in guidance, for instance the guidance on hearing loss in adults. It is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations#removing-earwaxTo promote the wellbeing of those with an excessive build-up of ear wax, the National Health Service website recommends home remedies such as olive oil drops. If further ear wax removal treatment is required, then general practices can refer patients into recommended, safe and professional ear wax removal services such as micro-suction or ear irrigation. Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring such services are in place as are required to meet the needs of the local population.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are recorded as being on a waiting list for treatment more than once for the same condition.

Andrew Stephenson: The information is not available in the format requested. Data is not collected based on the patient’s condition, but rather by what category of treatment they are waiting to receive. This Referral to Treatment data is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

Barts Health NHS Trust: Fire Prevention

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the capital funding provided to Barts Health NHS Trust for fire safety works at (a) Newham Hospital Gateway Surgical Centre, (b) other areas of Newham Hospital and (c) other facilities within that Trust.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not actively assess local infrastructure projects such as fire safety works; this falls under the responsibility of individual trusts. The Department provides operational capital to address these needs, allowing National Health Service providers to prioritise works at the local level.As such, North East London Integrated Care Board, of which Barts Health NHS Trust is a partner member, was allocated £83 million in operational capital in 2023/24, which can be used for capital projects, including fire safety works. Previously, the trust received £4.6 million in 2020/21 from national programmes to fund works relating to fire safety.

Health Services and Social Services: Cybersecurity

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a supplier working group to better facilitate ongoing communication and dialogue with industry relating to health and social care data and cyber security has been established.

Andrew Stephenson: We have multiple mechanisms for engaging and working closely with suppliers, including supplier summits, direct relationships and through local organisations. In addition, we will shortly be launching the Cyber Suppliers Network to facilitate dialogue and visibility of ongoing efforts to more effectively secure data and manage cybersecurity.

Cancer: Screening

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of women who (a) have and (b) do not have multiple sclerosis attended (i) cancer screening appointments, (ii) mammograms and (iii) cervical screening appointments in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: National Health Service screening programmes do not collect data on an individual’s long-term condition, and therefore no data is available on what proportion of women who have multiple sclerosis, participate in cancer screening programmes.Under the Equality Act 2010, and the Health and Social Care Act 2012, NHS screening providers have a legal duty to make sure screening services are accessible to everyone, including people with long term conditions, who may have issues with access.The following table provides data on the percentage of coverage for the three cancer screening programmes, breast, cervical and bowel, within the age groups invited for NHS screenings, in England over the last five years: 2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/22Breast Screening – ages 50 to 71 years old74.9%74.6%74.2%64.2%65.3%66.4%Cervical Screening – ages 25 to 64 years old71.4%71.9%72.2%70.2%69.9%68.7%Bowel Screening – ages 60 to 74 years old59.2%59.5%60.5%64.3%66.1%70.3% Note: Data for bowel cancer screening is not separated based on sex.

Health Services and Social Services: Cybersecurity

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the implementation plan for a cyber resilient health and adult social care system in England has been published.

Andrew Stephenson: The purpose of the implementation plan is to provide details on how we are going to be delivering our strategy over the current spending period. The plan will be published in spring 2024, but we are already delivering on the strategy through an ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, aiming to invest up to £147.6 million by April 2025.This programme is looking to further strengthen existing national cyber security controls for health and care, which already includes cyber monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through NHS England’s Cyber Security Operations Centre, national-scale defences from cyberattack, such as Secure Boundary, and nationally provided cyber incident response contracts in the event of a cyber incident.

Taiwan: Health Insurance

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Taiwan signed on 10 July 2023, what progress has been made to further cooperation on reciprocal health insurance agreements.

Andrew Stephenson: A UK-Taiwan Healthcare Dialogue was held in July 2023, where reciprocal healthcare was discussed. We are awaiting further views from Taiwanese officials, who are consulting internally on the issue.

Fentanyl and Nitazenes: Death

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on the number of deaths as a result of (a) nitazenes and (b) fentanyl poisonings in 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: Data on drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales are collected and reported on annually by the Office for National Statistics with the latest published data covering deaths registered in 2022. However, for surveillance purposes, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has been tracking deaths reported to it via its networks that have been confirmed to involve nitazenes or fentanyls in England since 1 June 2023. OHID has logged 64 deaths involving nitazenes and no deaths involving fentanyls between June and December 2023.

Meat Products: Preservatives

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to introduce similar restrictions on nitrites in processed meat products to those set out in European Commission Regulation No 231/2012 on food additives nitrites (E 249-250) and nitrates (E 251-252), published on 1 June 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considers that existing levels of nitrites and nitrates in the United Kingdom are sufficiently protective for consumers, and they remain important preservatives in a range of foods that control a range of harmful micro-organisms. However, as with all additives, this remains under review. Given the European Union (EU) changes to levels, the FSA wishes to ensure there are no unintended food safety consequences. The FSA is engaging with stakeholders across the UK to understand the implications of the EU changes on nitrates in processed meat, cheese and fish products and any impacts they may have on industry. It is necessary to understand the ability of industry to reformulate to meet the various transition periods, whilst ensuring foods remain safe. This will support formulation of a UK position on the use of nitrates/nitrites as a food additive in these commodities.

Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to take steps to restrict the advertising of vapes at (a) sporting venues, (b) on packaging and (c) at point of sale.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five children having now used a vape. The health advice is clear: if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. The Government’s response to the recent smoking and vaping consultation sets out our plan to introduce legislation as soon as possible. Whilst there are no current plans to ban the advertising of vaping products in sports venues, we will introduce powers to limit where and how vapes can be displayed within shops, as well as how vapes are packaged.

Nitrous Oxide: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) users and (b) people that have experienced harm due to the use of nitrous oxide.

Andrea Leadsom: Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that 1.3% of people aged 16 to 59 years old, and 4.2% of people aged 16 to 24 years old, had used nitrous oxide in the year leading to March 2023. This was a 48% and 54% decrease compared with the year ending March 2020, respectively.The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is the Government’s independent expert advisory body on drug-related issues. In March 2023, the ACMD published a report on the updated assessment of the health and social harms of nitrous oxide. This report is available at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nitrous-oxide-updated-harms-assessmentThe Home Office has committed to publishing a broad-ranging assessment of the effect of controlling nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This will be published three years from the date of its control, in November 2026.

Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to regulate the locations of point of sale displays for vapes.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. The health advice is clear: if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape.The Government is committed to having the biggest impact possible in reducing youth vaping. On 29 January 2024, we announced our plans to regulate how vapes can be displayed within shops, alongside broader measures to restrict flavours, vape packaging, and to ban disposable vapes. We will introduce legislation as soon as possible.

Naloxone

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of administering naloxone when (a) reversing an overdose and (b) no opioids are present in the system.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government considers naloxone to be effective in reducing opioid overdose-related deaths and is working to widen access to, and increase the uptake of, this life saving drug. The Naloxone consultation published on 24 January 2024 seeks views on proposals to expand access to take-home naloxone supplies, with more information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-to-expand-access-to-take-home-naloxone-suppliesNaloxone has a very good safety profile. Using medicines is never without risk but the government’s assessment and the clinical consensus is that the benefits of naloxone far outweigh the risks. Naloxone remains effective when used to reverse the effects of an overdose caused by synthetic opioids.Naloxone's safety means it is highly unlikely to harm someone if it is administered to them and they are not overdosing on an opioid.

Mental Health Services: Cumbria

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals have been accepted by South Cumbria CAMHS in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Caulfield: Information relating to children and young people was not collected prior to 2016/17. The following table shows the number of referrals received in Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness local authorities between 2016/17 and 2022/23, the latest period for which data is available: Financial yearLocal authorityNumber of referrals received in year for patients aged between zero and 17 years old at time of referralNumber of referrals received in year where patients aged between zero and 17 years old at time of referral and who have received at least one care contact any time after referral2016/17Cumberland2501102017/18Cumberland9755702018/19Cumberland4,0302,5202019/20Cumberland5,5552,8102020/21Cumberland5,0252,6702021/22Cumberland6,2803,1452022/23Cumberland6,1402,7952016/17Westmorland and Furness3251652017/18Westmorland and Furness1,0606702018/19Westmorland and Furness3,5902,2652019/20Westmorland and Furness4,6652,3052020/21Westmorland and Furness3,8401,9552021/22Westmorland and Furness4,3702,2702022/23Westmorland and Furness3,6451,870Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS England Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest five.For the area of South Cumbria, the former Cumbrian councils have been mapped to their new unitary local authorities with referrals based on the patient’s postcode. Cumberland Council comprises of the area formerly covered by Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland districts; and Westmorland and Furness Council comprises of the area formerly covered by Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland districts.

Mental Health Services: Cumbria

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals have been accepted by South Cumbria CAMHS in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the number of referrals made received for patients aged between zero and 17 years old between December 2022 and November 2023, with data between April and November 2023 still being subject to revision: Reporting periodLocal authorityNumber of referrals received in month for patients aged between zero and 17 years old at time of referralNumber of referrals received in month where patients aged between zero and 17 years old at time of referral and who have received at least one care contact any time after referralDecember 2022Cumberland415195January 2023Cumberland465225February 2023Cumberland560235March 2023Cumberland580230April 2023Cumberland410155May 2023Cumberland545225June 2023Cumberland475175July 2023Cumberland460175August 2023Cumberland255110September 2023Cumberland360185October 2023Cumberland500210November 2023Cumberland640210December 2022Westmorland and Furness270150January 2023Westmorland and Furness365200February 2023Westmorland and Furness320145March 2023Westmorland and Furness425220April 2023Westmorland and Furness260120May 2023Westmorland and Furness320155June 2023Westmorland and Furness265135July 2023Westmorland and Furness270125August 2023Westmorland and Furness235100September 2023Westmorland and Furness310125October 2023Westmorland and Furness27595November 2023Westmorland and Furness390110Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS England Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest five.For the area of South Cumbria, the former Cumbrian councils have been mapped to their new unitary local authorities with referrals based on the patient’s postcode. Cumberland Council comprises of the area formerly covered by Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland districts; and Westmorland and Furness Council comprises of the area formerly covered by Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland districts.

Prescriptions: ICT

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts have a digital prescribing system in place.

Andrew Stephenson: The information requested is not held centrally. It is not strictly mandated that NHS Trusts use the Electronic Prescription Service.

Department of Health and Social Care: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to table 15 of the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, HC 33, published on 25 January 2024, what the distance travelled on domestic flights was in 2021-22.

Andrew Stephenson: The figure reported in the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23, showing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with domestic air travel in 2021/22, includes domestic flights made by:- the Department;- the Care Quality Commission;- NHS England;- NHS Resolution;- the Health Research Authority;- NHS Counter Fraud Authority;- NHS Business Services Authority;- the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency;- the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence;- the UK Health Security Agency;- and the former NHS Digital and Health Education England, which are both now merged with NHS England.The distance travelled by domestic flights in 2021-22 for these bodies was 185,415 kilometres.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Health

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of young people who presented at an ambulance and emergency department in mental health crisis in each month in 2023.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Dementia: Nurses

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of funding for Admiral Nurses.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of funding for Admiral Nurses, who are developed and supported by Dementia UK as an independent charitable organisation. Provision of dementia health services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include Admiral Nurses, based on local population needs.

Hospices: Finance

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by the APPG for Hospice and End of Life Care entitled Government funding for hospices, to be published in February 2024.

Helen Whately: The Department is already taking actions which will address many of the recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report. As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission, which will ensure a more consistent national approach and support commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care.The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services. However, we also recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life and their families. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding hospices receive is dependent on many factors, including what other statutory services are available within the ICB footprint. Charitable hospices provide a range of services which go beyond that which statutory services are legally required to provide, and consequently, the funding arrangements reflect this.NHS England has commissioned the development of a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities and ensure that funding is distributed fairly based on prevalence.In July 2022, NHS England published statutory guidance and service specifications for commissioners on palliative and end of life care, setting out the considerations for ICBs to meet their legal duties. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.The Government have also provided additional funding to help deliver the one-off payments to eligible staff employed by non-NHS organisations, who employ their staff on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts. Organisations were able to apply for the funding and needed to show they had been negatively financially impacted by the pay deal, and that their staff are employed on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts.

Hospitals: Agency Workers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many agency staff were employed in NHS hospitals on 30 January 2024.

Andrew Stephenson: Agency workers are not National Health Service employees, and their services are invoiced upon their delivery. Invoices for these services will confirm the hours billed, and the cost of those hours. Due to the variability and complexity of the invoices, it is not possible to collect reliable statistical data on agency headcount.

Hospices

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to support hospices.

Helen Whately: As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission, which will ensure a more consistent national approach and support commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care, including from hospices.The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services. However, we also recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life and their families. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing services within the National Health Service. The amount of funding hospices receive is dependent on many factors, including what other statutory services are available within the ICB footprint. Charitable hospices provide a range of services which go beyond that which statutory services are legally required to provide. Consequently, the funding arrangements reflect this.At a national level, NHS England supports children’s hospices through the Children and Young People’s hospice grant. It has confirmed that it will be renewing the grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million of grant funding for children’s hospices using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24.The Government has provided additional funding to help deliver the one-off payments to eligible staff employed by non-NHS organisations, which employ their staff on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts. Organisations, such as hospices, were able to apply for the funding if they were able to show they had been negatively financially impacted by the pay deal, and that their staff are employed on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts.

Hospices: Finance

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the equity of funding provided to hospices across England.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the sustainability of the funding model for hospices in England.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to ensure the long-term sustainability of the hospice sector.

Helen Whately: While no specific assessment has been made recently of the equity of funding provided to hospices across England or the sustainability of the funding model for hospices, there are several steps that the Department is taking to ensure the equity and sustainability of funding for hospices.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of National Health Service funded palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, locally, and they are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services. However, we also recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. Charitable hospices provide a range of services which go beyond that which statutory services are legally required to provide and, consequently, the funding arrangements reflect this.NHS England has developed of a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities and ensure that funding is distributed fairly based on prevalence.At a national level, NHS England supports palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the Children and Young People’s hospice grant. It has confirmed that it will be renewing the grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million of grant funding for children’s hospices using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24. The Department recognises that one of the keys to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the hospice sector is to ensure that it can maintain a sufficient workforce. The Government have also provided additional funding to help deliver the one-off payments to eligible staff employed by non-NHS organisations, which employ their staff on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts. Organisations were able to apply for the funding and needed to show they had been negatively financially impacted by the pay deal, and that their staff are employed on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts.

Mental Health Services: Cumbria

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many established posts are vacant by (a) discipline and (b) job role in South Cumbria CAMHS.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is held by NHS England but is not centrally validated.

Mental Health Services: Cumbria

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many established posts are filled by (a) discipline and (b) job role in South Cumbria CAMHS.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is held by NHS England, but it is not centrally validated.

Autism: Health Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support young people with autism in South Cumbria.

Maria Caulfield: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services to support autistic young people, in line with relevant clinical guidelines.NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has several commissioned services in place currently to support autistic young people and their families and has invested over £3.7 million in 2023/24 in such services. This includes an online advice and guidance service, Autism Unlocked, which has been developed for autistic people and their families, including children and young people and their parents and carers. For children on the assessment pathway for autism, the ICB has also commissioned Pathway Navigators who contact families on the assessment pathway to provide ongoing support, signposting, and resources to families.In addition, a key worker service has been available in Lancashire and South Cumbria since 2021 to support autistic children and young people or those with a learning disability at risk of mental health hospital admission, or those in in-patient settings.Nationally, we are taking steps to improve autism services. NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services on 5 April 2023. These documents are intended to help the National Health Service improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for adults and children who are going through an autism assessment. They also set out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism. To meet the recommendations in this guidance, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB is currently undertaking a review of existing provision to inform the development of an integrated neurodevelopmental pathway, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).In 2023/24, £4.2 million is available nationally to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services, pre and post diagnostic support, and the continuation of the ‘Autism in Schools’ programme. Autism in Schools is a national project, which is being implemented locally by NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, which aims to ensure schools offer environments in which autistic students can thrive, supporting good mental health and promoting a sense of belonging.

Kooth: Mental Health Services

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with NHS England on the Kooth mental health platform.

Maria Caulfield: While there have been no ministerial discussions with NHS England about the Kooth mental health platform, Departmental officials have had discussions with NHS England about the platform.

Hospitals: Admissions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of young people who were admitted to a paediatric ward in mental health crisis in each month in 2023.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of young people in South Cumbria identified as highly complex or at high risk to self or others are on the waiting list for (a) cognitive behavioural therapy, (b) psychology and (c) family therapy as of 29 January 2024.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of crisis referrals to child and adolescent mental health services on the standard of therapeutic provision for under-18s in south Cumbria.

Maria Caulfield: There are no plans to make such an assessment at national level. We would expect National Health Service providers and commissioners to provide services in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The standard of therapeutic provision for children under 18 years old in South Cumbria is a matter for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

Multiple Sclerosis: Menopause

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support research into the potential impact of menopause on people with multiple sclerosis.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds research on menopause, but it is not currently funding any specific research into the potential impact of menopause on people with multiple sclerosis.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and we want to ensure that we answer the most important research questions and address topics that make the biggest difference to patients, and the public. On 18 October 2023, World Menopause Day, the James Lind Alliance (JLA) launched a Priority Setting Partnership focused on menopause. This initiative engages women who have experienced menopause as well as healthcare professionals, to identify research priorities. This will result in the creation of a public Top 10 list that researchers can access and consider as a focus for their work. The final priority setting process will be a full day workshop facilitated by the JLA in October 2024.

Kidney Diseases: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication by Kidney Care UK entitled Let’s talk kidneys: opportunities for early intervention in chronic kidney disease, published on 23 December 2023, whether her Department has taken steps to implement annual testing of patients at high risk of kidney disease.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Let’s talk kidneys: Opportunities for early intervention in chronic kidney disease, published by Kidney Care UK on 13 December 2023, if she will ensure that the Major Conditions Strategy includes (a) increased testing for chronic kidney disease in primary care settings for those most at risk by virtue of having (i) diabetes and (ii) cardiovascular disease, (b) the incorporation of evidence-based interventions into chronic kidney disease care strategies which aim to delay disease progression and (c) other actions on chronic kidney disease.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Let’s talk kidneys: Opportunities for early intervention in chronic kidney disease, published by Kidney Care UK on 13 December 2023,, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure patients at risk of chronic kidney disease are screened annually for the disease.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out the best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The guidance covers monitoring for those patients at risk as well as pharmacological management and referral, where appropriate, and is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203In addition to evidence-based guidance to support clinicians in diagnosing problems of the kidney, we are also working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old who are not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported in making behavioural changes and accessing treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.We are investing in new delivery models for the NHS Health Check, including nearly £17 million for the development and roll-out of an innovative new national and digital NHS Health Check, which will be rolled out this spring, and will give people a choice about where and when to have a check.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed CKD and glomerulonephritis in 2011 and concluded that a population-wide screening programme would not be recommended, and has not looked at the evidence for a targeted programme. The UK NSC can be alerted to any new peer-reviewed evidence published which may suggest the case for a new screening programme. Proposals to change or review a topic early can be submitted via the UK NSC’s annual call, which will open in July 2024.

Nurses: Pay

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department undertook an assessment of the impact of a separate pay spine for nursing on pay equality before launching the consultation.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government has published a call for evidence to better understand the benefits, challenges and design of a separate pay spine for nursing staff. The legal and equality implications of removing nursing staff from the existing pay arrangements are also being considered separately by the Government.The Government will carefully consider the evidence that is submitted. If a decision is made to progress with the policy, any future proposal to introduce a separate pay spine in the National Health Service would be consulted on and would include relevant impact assessments.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s publication entitled MHRA Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023, published on 19 July 2023, what estimate she has made of the resourcing challenges faced by the MHRA; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle these challenges.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is committed to providing the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) the resources it needs. It is funded predominately by charging fees to industry for the services it delivers, with additional funding being provided by the Department.At the Spring Budget last year, the Government provided an additional £10 million over the next two years to support the agency in increasing approvals of innovative medicines developed in the United Kingdom and abroad.The MHRA’s business plan speaks to its priorities in attracting and developing talent. The agency has enhanced its talented and skilled workforce with additional expertise, bringing a wide range of new skills and experience, to build capability and capacity.

Clinical Trials

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of clinical trials were assessed after the statutory timeframe of 30 days in the 2022-23 financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: In 2022/23, 693 initial clinical trial authorisation applications were assessed. Out of these, 461 or 66.52% were assessed after the 30-day statutory timeframe.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been transparent about its performance, and since March 2023 has published monthly data indicating the number of clinical trial applications and average timescales for applications to be assessed. All regulatory assessments for clinical trials have been completed within the statutory timescales of 30 days since September 2023.This stabilised and improved performance reflects the significant effort the MHRA made to eliminate all backlogs. Over 2,400 clinical trial applications, including amendments and initials, were assessed from mid-July 2023 to the end of September 2023.The MHRA has now embedded improvements into standard working practice. We will continue to make enhancements with new legislative measures to make it easier and faster for applicants to gain approvals and to ensure the United Kingdom remains a prime destination for clinical trials.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Clinical Trials

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential obstacles to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency meeting its statutory licensing commitments for clinical trials for the year 2022-23.

Andrew Stephenson: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been transparent about its performance, and since March 2023 has published monthly data indicating the number of clinical trial applications and average timescales for applications to be assessed. All regulatory assessments for clinical trials have been completed within the statutory timescales of 30 days since September 2023.This stabilised and improved performance reflects the significant effort MHRA made to eliminate all backlogs. Over 2,400 clinical trial applications, including amendments and initials, were assessed from mid-July 2023 to the end of September 2023.The MHRA has now embedded improvements into standard working practice. We will continue to make enhancements with new legislative measures to make it easier and faster for applicants to gain approvals and to ensure the United Kingdom remains a prime destination for clinical trials.

Treasury

Public Sector: Productivity

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of levels of public sector productivity in each financial year between 2018-19 and 2022-23; and what his planned timetable is for publication of the Public Service Productivity Review.

Laura Trott: ONS publish annual National Statistics on public service productivity up to 2020. The next annual statistic for 2021 will be published in March. ONS also publish estimates of annual public service productivity for 2021 and 2022. An experimental estimate for 2023 will come after the Spring Budget. This information is available online  There will be an update on the Public Sector Productivity Programme at Spring Budget.

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many public sector exit payments were made in excess of £95,000 in the financial years ending 31 March (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019, (d) 2020, (e) 2021, (f) 2022 and (g) 2023; and what the total cost was of those payments in each of those years.

Laura Trott: information on the number and costs of exit payments over £100,00 is published in the Whole of Government Accounts.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2023 to Question 7211 on Fire and Rescue Services Finance, what Barnett consequentials arise as a result of additional funding support for Fire and Rescue Authorities in England.

Laura Trott: The Barnett formula applies to all increases or decreases to Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL), including when budgets change in relation to funding for Fire and Rescue Authorities. Fire and Rescue Authorities in England receive funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement. Part of this funding comes from DEL agreed at the Spending Review and the Barnett formula has been applied in the usual way. Additionally, Fire and Rescue Funding is raised through council tax precepts, which is council tax funding ring-fenced for Fire and Rescue Authorities. The Barnett formula does not apply to spending financed by council tax.

Blood: Contamination

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the provision of funding for an infected blood compensation scheme.

Laura Trott: This was an appalling tragedy, and my thoughts remain with all those affected. The Government has accepted the moral case for compensation and justice must be delivered for the victims. As such, the Government intends to respond in full to Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations for wider compensation following the publication of the Inquiry’s final report in May 2024.

Economic Situation: GP Surgeries

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department has issued to the (a) Valuation Office Agency and (b) District Valuer Service on assessing the market conditions for developing new GP practices in the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: The District Valuer Service (DVS) is the specialist property arm of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), providing independent, impartial, valuation and professional property advice across the entire public sector, and where public money or public functions are involved. HM Treasury has not issued any guidance to the VOA. The VOA uses recognised valuation approaches in line with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) guidance. The VOA provides the current market rent to enable the NHS to assess the financial value for money of newly proposed developments. This then enables the NHS to determine access to reimbursements. The role of the DVS is set out in the NHS Premises Cost Directions 2013, which is publicly available online: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6520111caea2d0000d219939/nhs-general-medical-services-premises-costs-directions-2013.pdf

Mass Media: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a list of all media publishers that received funding from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC’s legal duty of confidentiality applies to information about specific Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claims. A Ministerial Direction allowed HMRC to publish information about employer furlough claims from December 2020. The Ministerial Direction only allowed HMRC to have this data published for a length of 12 months, so HMRC can no longer publish information on employers who received funding from the CJRS from December 2020 to September 2021, when the scheme closed.

Apprentices: Taxation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the interest earned on apprenticeship levy funds in each of the last three years.

Nigel Huddleston: The Treasury is not able to make estimates of whether interest is earned on apprenticeship levy funds. The Apprenticeship Levy is not legally hypothecated, so revenues from the levy are paid into the Consolidated Fund.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.87 of the Autumn Statement 2023, CP 977, published on 22 November 2023, until what date his Department will continue to accept (a) industry representations and (b) broader data on the VAT Retail Export Scheme.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government takes an ongoing interest in the VAT Retail Export Scheme and continues to accept industry representations. The Government has not set a deadline by which submissions must be received and HM Treasury continues to consider all evidence submitted by stakeholders.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.87 of the Autumn Statement 2023, CP 977, published on 22 November 2023, in what form his Department prefers to receive (a) industry representations and (b) broader data on the VAT Retail Export Scheme.

Nigel Huddleston: The government recognises a range of qualitative and quantitative data will be relevant for considering the VAT Retail Export Scheme and is grateful for all industry submissions. The government is continuing to accept representations and considering this new information carefully alongside broader data.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his oral contribution of 22 November 2023, Official Report column 349, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the VAT Retail Export Scheme cost around £2.5 billion a year; and if he will publish the methodology underpinning this costing.

Nigel Huddleston: The Growth Plan, published in 2022 (https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/the-growth-plan), indicated that introducing a worldwide scheme would come at a fiscal cost of around £2 billion each year. This figure consists of the cost from EU and non-EU visitors and is based on the same methodology as costings of the abolition of VAT RES and the associated airside scheme published in 2020 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fbd2087d3bf7f5735e29b41/Policy_costings_2020_final.pdf). Updating that figure with the latest economic determinants suggests the cost would be in the region of £2.5bn.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £20 billion of funding announced in the Spring Budget 2023 for early deployment of carbon capture, usage and storage was in addition to previous announcements of funding for (a) carbon capture, usage and storage, (b) hydrogen power and (c) direct air capture made since January 2020.

Gareth Davies: In March 2023 Government announced up to £20 billion funding for early deployment of CCUS across all sectors. This includes the £1 billion Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) Infrastructure Fund (CIF), supporting the ambition for CCUS in four industrial clusters by 2030 at the latest. The Government has also made wider announcements on funding for green technologies since 2020. For example, in May 2021, the Government announced £166m cash injection for green technology, this included £6m for the Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removals Innovation Programme, Phase 1. In July 2022, the Government announced that carbon removal technology would benefit from over £54m of Government Funding. This was for the Direct air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removals Programme Phase 2.

Question

Priti Patel: What recent assessment he has made of the impact of his fiscal policies on levels of foreign direct investment into the UK.

Gareth Davies: The UK has the second highest level of greenfield inward investment in the world, behind only the US. The UK remains an attractive destination thanks to our competitive tax regime, world-leading regulatory and legal system, and exemplary academic institutions. This success was demonstrated at last year’s Global Investment Summit, where the PM announced £29.5bn of investment into the UK.

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the consultation entitled Public Sector Exit Payments: a new controls process for high exit payments, which closed on 17 October 2022, for what reason his Department has not yet responded to that consolation; and when he plans to respond.

Laura Trott: The Government is considering the responses to this consultation and will publish a response in due course.

Mortgages

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2023 to Question 157639 on Mortgages, whether he plans to publish a response to the report entitled Releasing the Mortgage Prisoners, published on 1 March 2023.

Bim Afolami: The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely stressful and, alongside the Financial Conduct Authority and industry, have shown we are willing to act, such as through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’. The Government remains committed to this issue, and we are considering the proposals put forward in this report very carefully. While we cannot force lenders to lend to borrowers they consider too high a risk, we welcome views on any further practical and proportionate solutions that would meaningfully assist affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the UK Mortgage Prisoners campaign group, to discuss potential solutions.

Counter-terrorism and Money Laundering

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Reforming anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision, published on 30 June 2023, if he will (a) make an assessment of the level of potential (i) risk to continued anti-money laundering compliance posed by each proposed model of reform and (ii) transitional risk associated with models (A) two, (B) three and (C) four of the reform proposals and (b) publish those assessments.

Bim Afolami: The evidence received from respondents to our consultation on reforming the UK’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing supervisory regime has been invaluable in allowing us to understand the full range of possible risks associated with each of the models that were outlined. When we announce which policy we will be pursuing, this will be accompanied with analysis of the policy options against our criteria. This will include analysis of how much the models could improve supervisory effectiveness and how feasible they are. We will continue work to ensure that whichever model we proceed with helps us achieve our goal of reducing economic crime in the UK.

Department for Business and Trade

Sales: Minimum Wage

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of direct sales companies paying at least the minimum wage in (a) Cardiff Central, (b) England and (c) Wales.

Kevin Hollinrake: All businesses – irrespective of their size or business sector – are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. The government is clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it and takes robust enforcement action against employers who do not pay their staff correctly. HMRC enforces minimum wage regulations on behalf of DBT.The government would urge any worker who believes they are being paid below their entitlement to contact either ACAS or HMRC directly. ACAS offer free, impartial, and confidential advice on rights and entitlements to both workers and employers. ACAS officers will pass on cases to HMRC for further consideration where appropriate. HMRC will look at every case that a worker brings to it directly.

Taxis

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of support provided to drivers by (a) Uber and (b) other private hire operators.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is unable to comment on individual circumstances or the working practices of individual companies. However, we are clear that everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work and rewarded for their contribution to the economy, both in terms of fair pay and fair working conditions.An individual’s entitlement to employment rights such as the minimum wage are determined by their employment status (employee, limb (b) worker or self-employed). In 2022, the Government published new employment status guidance, making it easier for businesses to comply with existing regulations and for individuals to understand which employment protections apply to them.

Sales: Conditions of Employment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of employment practices in the direct sales industry in (a) Cardiff Central constituency, (b) England and (c) Wales.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government regularly engages with businesses with a range of employment practices across the UK to better understand current and future challenges and opportunities within sectors.While the Government is unable to comment on the working practices of individual companies, we clear that businesses should always treat their workforce and partners fairly, and ensure they are fulfilling their legal responsibilities. An individual’s entitlement to employment rights such as the minimum wage are determined by their employment status (employee, limb (b) worker or self-employed).The Government encourages individuals to seek advice from ACAS, who deal with questions from employers, individuals, and others about a wide range of employment relations matters. Where an individual is unable to resolve a dispute with their engager, they have the right to go to an Employment Tribunal.

Overseas Trade: South Australia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has met with the Agent General of South Australia in the last six months; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of South Australia’s rank as the highest-ranking Australian state in economic growth.

Greg Hands: Our already strong trade and investment relationship with the whole of Australia has been further strengthened by the Free Trade Agreement. The Government also enjoys a strong relationship with South Australia, which includes a UK-South Australia MOU covering cooperation on trade and investment. There is regular engagement led by UK Ministers, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy and our High Commissioner. This includes trade missions covering space, defence and technology. The PM’s Trade Envoy to Australia most recently met with the Agent General for South Australia to London in June 2023. The Premier of South Australia visited the UK in 2022 and 2023.

Origin Marking: Canada

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2024 to Question 11775 on Origin Marking: Canada, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to rules of origin arrangements on tariffs  for each sector identified as likely to be impacted.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: From 1 April, businesses will not be able to count EU material as originating in their exports to Canada under the FTA.The impact on UK sectors will depend on individual business supply chains and the extent to which they use EU inputs. We are engaging extensively with business to understand the impact and help them prepare.

Post Codes

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will have discussions with (a) Ofcom and (b) Royal Mail on (i) the maintenance of postcodes and (ii) the extent to which newly designated postcodes are recognised by satellite navigation systems.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government understands the role data plays in delivering benefits in the public and private sectors and the UK has traditionally maintained high quality address data that supports a wide range of uses across the economy.However, the postcode system is an operational tool, owned and maintained by Royal Mail, with its primary purpose being to ensure the accurate sorting, routing and delivery of customers’ mail. Royal Mail keeps this under review for its purposes.Postcodes may be used for other purposes including by private and public sector organisations. The terms of access to the Postcode Address File are regulated by Ofcom, the independent regulator. However, other commercial products to identify locations for the purposes of deliveries and directions are also available.

Furniture: Fire Prevention

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Second Special Report of the Environmental Audit Committee of Session 2017–19 on Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life: Government Response to the Committee's Twentieth Report of Session 2017–19, HC160, published on 30 October 2019, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of chemical flame-retardant use in furniture filling materials on (a) health, (b) environmental wellbeing and (c) fire safety.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has consulted on a new approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture and will set out its response in due course. The consultation included proposals to encourage and enable a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants reflecting commitments made in the Government’s response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s 2019 report. Where flame retardants are used to meet the fire safety requirements, they must be compliant with all relevant UK chemicals regulations, including UK REACH.

Personal Care Services

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) hairdressing and (b) barber salons there are.

Kevin Hollinrake: ONS data[1] shows that the number of business premises in the hairdressing and beauty sector totalled 50,485 in 2023. This is an increase of 1.8% compared with 2022 and 17.4% above 2017 levels. Additional data from the Local Data Company[2] shows that the number of hairdressers fell by 425 in September 2023 compared with a year earlier, while the number of barbers increased by 815. [1] ONS – UK business activity, size and location – 2023. Data relates to SIC 9602.[2] https://britishbeautycouncil.com/british-beauty-council-ldc-new-report/

Economic Growth: South East

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support economic growth in the South East.

Kevin Hollinrake: Over £431m has been allocated through the Levelling Up Fund, including £20m in Portsmouth to transform the visitor economy. Nearly £7m has been allocated to Portsmouth through the Future Highstreet Fund to reshape the city centre in a way that drives growth.The Towns Fund is investing £109m across five towns in the South East to stimulate local economies. Further investments are planned through our Levelling Up Partnerships and Long-Term Plan for Towns.The Solent and Thames Freeports will create jobs and attract new businesses in high growth sectors and Help to Grow and Growth Hubs are available to businesses.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her Department's policy is on lenders threatening to charge additional fees and penalties on the repayment of loans under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and whether her Department has taken enforcement action against such lenders.

Kevin Hollinrake: As part of the scheme design, no early repayment fees or other lender-levied fees of any type following drawdown were permitted.The Lender Audit and Assurance Programme verifies appropriate administration of Covid Loan Scheme portfolios by accredited Delivery Partners in line with their contractual obligations. If any concerns are identified, remedial actions are agreed with Delivery Partners to rectify areas failing to meet guarantee requirements.Should a person or organisation have any particular concerns or incidents to raise, these can be directed to the British Business Bank via the contact form available at: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/contact-details/.

Taxis: Safety

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Uber and (b) other private hire operators on the matter of driver safety.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for employment rights. We are unable to comment on individual circumstances or the working practices of individual companies. However, we are clear that everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work and rewarded for their contribution to the economy, both in terms of fair pay and fair working conditions.The Uber Supreme Court judgment was clear that those who qualify as workers under existing employment law are entitled to rights such as the minimum wage, and all gig economy businesses should ensure they are fulfilling their legal responsibilities.

Horizon IT System: North West

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many sub-postmasters from (a) Manchester Gorton constituency, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West voluntarily left the Post Office due to issues with Horizon, broken down by ethnicity.

Kevin Hollinrake: We do not have the regional breakdown of the number of postmasters who voluntarily left Post office due to Horizon. However, we know that at least 2,700 overall postmasters have been affected by Horizon issues as there have been 2417 Horizon Shortfall Scheme applicants (and a further 336 eligible late claims to date); 101 overturned convictions; and 492 who are currently eligible for the Group Litigation Order Scheme.

Horizon IT System: North West

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many sub-postmasters from (a) Manchester Gorton constituency, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West were wrongfully convicted due to the Horizon system; and if she will provide this breakdown by ethnicity.

Kevin Hollinrake: We do not have the regional breakdown of the number of postmasters with overturned convictions according by ethnicity. So far 101 convictions have been overturned by the Courts across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is the Government’s opinion that there were many more wrongful convictions. We have announced that we will bring forward legislation so that Parliament can overturn them. The number of people whose convictions will be overturned by the legislation will depend on its precise terms.

Horizon IT System: Ethnic Groups

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what representations her Department has received from BAME sub-postmasters about the Horizon system.

Kevin Hollinrake: Individuals making representations do not generally report their ethnicity, therefore, we do not hold this information.

Horizon IT System: Ethnic Groups

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will list the number of sub-postmasters affected by Horizon, broken down by ethnicity.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade does not collate information regarding the number of sub-postmasters affected by Horizon according to ethnicity.

Uber: Civil Proceedings

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with representatives of Uber on the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Uber BV and others v Aslam and others, [2021] UKSC 5.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Uber Supreme Court judgment was clear that those who qualify as workers under existing employment law are entitled to rights such as the minimum wage, and all gig economy businesses should ensure they are fulfilling their legal responsibilities.The Department for Business and Trade cannot comment on individual circumstances or the working practices of individual companies, however representatives of Uber engage regularly with the Department. The Government continues to welcome innovation and entrepreneurship, to drive improved consumer choice and competition, ensuring the UK is one of the best places to work and to grow a business.

Home Office

Home Office: Vacancies

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many job vacancies there are in his Department as of 29 January 2024.

Chris Philp: The number of vacancies is not held centrally and would require significant manual collation and manipulation of data, so could only be retrieved with disproportionate effort.

Abortion: Demonstrations

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the enforcement of safe access zones is proportionate to other (a) protests and (b) gatherings.

Chris Philp: The Government has recently published and consulted on draft guidance on the enforcement of abortion safe access zones.The Home Office is now considering the responses before we publish a final version.The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that women in England and Wales feel safe and protected whilst exercising their legal right to access abortion services and I am confident that this guidance will support the effective introduction of Safe Access Zones.

Home Office: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Chris Philp: The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty.The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are:made by Ministers of the Crown; andnot covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Knives: Prison Sentences

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory jail terms for people caught in possession of (a) blades, (b) knives and (c) other pointed articles without authorisation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New law to ban zombie-style knives and machetes, published on 25 January 2024, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of that proposed legislation on preventing the sale of zombie-style knives; and what steps his Department plans to take to confiscate zombie-style knives already in public possession.

Chris Philp: The maximum penalty for being in possession of a bladed or pointed article in public is 4 years imprisonment. In 2015, we introduced minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession, alongside the existing minimum sentence for threatening with a knife. Adults face a minimum of 6 months’ imprisonment whilst young people aged 16 or 17 face a minimum 4-month Detention and Training Order.Measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which came into force on 28 June 2022, strengthen existing provisions by ensuring that the courts pass at least the minimum sentence for certain offences, including threat and repeat possession of a knife or offensive weapon, unless there are exceptional circumstances.Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and custodial sentences.It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any guidelines that may be laid down by the Sentencing Council or the Court of Appeal. Sentencing must also be proportionate to the offence committed, considering all the circumstances of each case. That is why our sentencing framework generally sets maximum penalties but not mandatory or minimum penalties.Research shows that it is the certainty of apprehension and punishment which consistently has a deterrent effect. However, it is of course crucial that serious offenders serve sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes, helping to protect the public and giving victims confidence that justice has been served.Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of serious offences that the person may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences including life imprisonment.The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 was laid in Parliament on 25 January 2024.Once the legislation has been approved by Parliament, a surrender scheme will come into effect on 26 August 2024 to remove zombie style machetes and knives from circulation. The manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes will be outlawed from 24 September, and this will be enforced by the Police, Trading Standards and Border Force. An impact assessment, supporting the Statutory Instrument, will be published very shortly.

Asylum: Missing Persons

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers disappeared from asylum accommodation before having their claims processed in 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers leaving accommodation.

Suleyman Javadov

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department has made on securing the £4 million settlement between the National Crime Agency and Suleyman Javadov; whether the location of these funds has been identified; and what plans his Department has for the (a) management and (b) disposal of these funds.

Tom Tugendhat: The NCA made an application for forfeiture at Westminster Magistrates Court on 28 May 2020 under s303Z14 of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). The Order was granted by the court with the consent of all parties. The total amount forfeited was £4,066,480.11.As the funds were recovered under POCA the funds entered the HO Asset Recovery Insentivisation Scheme (ARIS). ARIS is a discretionary funding model that’s objective is to provide agencies (prosecuting, investigating and enforcement) with incentives to use POCA powers to pursue asset recovery with the overall aim of cutting crime and delivering justice. ARIS receipts are split 50:50 between operational partners involved in the asset recovery process, and central government.Further information on ARIS can be found at: Asset recovery statistical bulletin: financial years ending 2018 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Motorcycles: Anti-social Behaviour

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of defining off road bikes as motor vehicles on levels of anti-social behaviour.

Chris Philp: All motorbikes are considered to be motor vehicles and there are no plans to change this.The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.We provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.

Defending Democracy Taskforce: BBC Persian Service

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce has taken evidence from BBC Persian journalists as part of its review into the UK's approach to transnational repression; and whether it has had recent discussions with the BBC World Service on that review.

Tom Tugendhat: This Government is committed to tackling the issue of transnational repression. Any threats made by a foreign state against individuals in the UK, including journalists, will be thoroughly investigated.The Defending Democracy Taskforce's review into the UK's approach to transnational repression is intended to ensure the UK has a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement to this threat to our democracy.The Taskforce has engaged a range of partners during the review, including other government departments, relevant agencies and law enforcement, and external stakeholders.I intend to update the House on the review in due course.

Small Businesses: Fraud

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people running small and medium-sized enterprises impacted by banking fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: In May 2023, Government published the Fraud Strategy setting out the aim of cutting fraud by 10% by the end of this Parliament. The strategy outlines three key elements:▪ Pursue fraudsters, disrupting their activities and bringing them to justice more often and quicker.▪ Block frauds at source by dramatically reducing the number of fraud and scam communications that get through to the public and businesses.▪ Empower people to recognise, avoid and report frauds and equip them to deal with frauds that do get through.The Strategy outlines how we will raise public awareness and safeguard victims through improved reporting pathways, more accessible victim support, and the provision of clear and consistent protect advice. This will ensure that everyone receives the support they need to feel safe again and prevent re-victimisation.In February 2024, Government will launch a new national anti-fraud behaviour change campaign, for individuals and businesses. The campaign will help people spot and take action to avoid fraud.Fraud has reduced 13% compared to last year (Sept 2022) and has continued to decrease since the Fraud Strategy was launched in May 2023.

Artificial Intelligence: Disinformation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle the rise in artificial intelligence generated deepfake crime.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to outlaw the use of artificial intelligence deepfake programmes.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many potential crimes involving AI deepfake programmes were reported in each of the last three years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on tackling AI deepfake crimes in each of the last three years.

Tom Tugendhat: Generative artificial intelligence services have made it easier to produce convincing deepfake content and, whilst there are legitimate use cases this is also impacting a range of crime types.The Home Office is working closely with law enforcement, international partners, industry and across Government to address the risks associated with deepfakes. This includes reviewing the extent to which existing criminal law provides coverage of AI-enabled offending and harmful behaviour, including the production and distribution of deepfake material using generative AI. If the review suggests alterations to the criminal law are required to clarify its application to AI-generated synthetic and manipulated material then amendments will be considered in the usual way.The Online Safety Act places new requirements on social media platforms to swiftly remove illegal content - including artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes - as soon as they become aware of it. The Act also updates Ofcom’s statutory media literacy duty to require it to take tangible steps to prioritise the public's awareness of and resilience to misinformation and disinformation online. This includes enabling users to establish the reliability, accuracy, and authenticity of content.We have no current plans to ban services which generate deepfakes, however Government has been clear that companies providing AI services should take steps to ensure safety and reduce the risks of misuse. This was discussed at the Government’s AI Safety Summit in November 2023, reinforcing our commitment to international collaboration on this shared challenge.Crime is recorded on the basis of the underlying offence, not whether a deepfake was involved, and we are therefore unable to provide a figure for deepfake-enabled crimes.We are unable to provide figures for departmental spending as this is captured according to crime type, or broader work on artificial intelligence, and not broken down into activities specific to deepfakes.

ICT: Fraud

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) technology and (b) telecommunications companies help to prevent fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: The Online Safety Act (OSA) received Royal Assent last year and will require the tech sector to tackle fraud on their platforms or face significant fines from Ofcom.Alongside the OSA, on the 30th November, the Government announced the Online Fraud Charter. This is the first voluntary agreement of its kind, in which the largest tech companies in the world have committed to implementing new measures to combat fraud in the UK. The Charter’s commitments seek improvements to blocking fraud at source, making reporting fraud easier for users and decreasing the time it takes to remove content and ads found to be fraudulent. The Charter also seeks to improve data sharing across the sector and with law enforcement, and to increase the transparency of risks on platforms and services.The Government and the telecommunications industry also signed the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter in 2021. Since then, the sector has introduced firewalls that detect and stop scam texts from reaching customers, as well as deploying measures to prevent scam calls. The firewalls have stopped 870 million scam text messages since January 2022.The Government is also taking legislative action to ban “SIM farms”, devices that allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time.

Economic Crime

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will appoint a Minister for Economic Crime.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office and HM Treasury lead the policy response to economic crime for government and are responsible for coordinating the public-private Economic Crime Plan 2, published in March 2023.Fraud and economic crime are complex and multifaceted issues that touch upon much of the economy and manifest in many different ways. It is right that these two departments jointly lead the government’s response, to support system leadership that fully considers the long-term ramifications of decisions that impact both the UK’s prosperity and security.A single departmental approach or single Economic Crime minister would, in the government’s view, undermine our efforts to tackle holistically the challenge that economic crime presents.

Information Sharing

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will introduce legislation to mandate information sharing between (a) payment service providers, (b) technology companies and (c) telecommunications companies.

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a fair and proportional reimbursement framework for bank fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: Under current regulations, victims of unauthorised bank fraud are automatically entitled to reimbursement in virtually all cases. This is not the case with victims of authorised push payment (APP) fraud – currently ten of the UK’s largest banks are signed up to the voluntary Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) Code.The government have legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to require the Payments System Regulator (PSR) to introduce mandatory reimbursement for APP scams within the Faster Payment System, where 98% of APP fraud takes place.The PSR have confirmed that mandatory reimbursement will come into force in October 2024.

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including a representative of the Electoral Commission on the defending democracy taskforce.

Tom Tugendhat: The Defending Democracy Taskforce is an enduring government function which seeks to protect the democratic integrity of the UK by reducing the threat of foreign interference.It is a cross-departmental and inter-agency initiative and has been engaging, and will continue to engage, with the Electoral Commission as a key partner and the independent body in ensuring safe and secure elections. This engagement is at Ministerial and official level.

Asylum

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims for asylum were suspended in each month between September and December 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of asylum claims, including grants, refusals and withdrawals, is published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2023. Data up to the end of 2023 will be published on 29 February 2024.Further information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: Gaza

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies on deciding asylum applications of the conflict in Gaza.

Tom Pursglove: Asylum claims made by claimants from Gaza, as is the case with all asylum claims lodged in the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, have an individual assessment made against the background of relevant case law, policy guidance and the latest available country of origin information.

Asylum: Immigration Controls

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of exit checks conducted by Border Force which identified people seeking asylum in the UK attempting to return to their country of origin in 2022.

Tom Pursglove: Officers conduct exit checks as part of specialist operations. If an individual with an open asylum claim leaves the UK without authorisation at any time before the conclusion of their application for asylum, they are deemed to have implicitly withdrawn their claim. Each incident is considered on a case by case basis, and we do not routinely comment on individual cases.

Asylum: Immigration Controls

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with Border Force on allegations that people seeking asylum in the UK that have returned to their country of origin for a holiday.

Tom Pursglove: Officers conduct exit checks as part of specialist operations. If an individual with an open asylum claim leaves the UK without authorisation at any time before the conclusion of their application for asylum, they are deemed to have implicitly withdrawn their claim. Each incident is considered on a case by case basis, and we do not routinely comment on individual cases.

Asylum: Rwanda

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Mitre on the potential merits of employing instructors to train staff on how to direct asylum-seekers on to planes for Rwanda in Bedfordshire.

Tom Pursglove: Since 2015, the Government has had training facilities to ensure escorts can respond professionally to the challenges of removing people with no right to be in the UK. This includes practical sessions, so escorts have the skills they need to deal with different scenarios. As we continue to remove those with no legal right to be here, we will continue to ensure new escorts have the required high quality training and facilities as necessary.

Asylum: Rwanda

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average cost to the public purse of removing a person from the UK to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: Costs and payments will depend on the number of people relocated and the timing of when this happens. Spend will be reported as part of the annual Home Office Reports and Accounts in the usual way.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce food waste at farms and (b) support farmers to ensure that surplus food is redistributed.

Mark Spencer: The Government supports a thriving, productive and efficient farming sector that prevents waste occurring in the first place. For instance, we are supporting investment in productivity-boosting equipment, technology and infrastructure through the Farming Investment Fund. This provides grants to farmers, foresters, and growers (including contractors to these sectors) that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment. We acknowledge that more can be done to reduce food waste in the primary production stage. The ‘fair dealings’ powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 can be used to prevent these kinds of unfair trading practices where they occur, as we are aware that unreasonably late cancellations or specification changes can sometimes lead to produce being unharvested. Last year we launched two new supply chain fairness reviews, looking into the egg and fresh produce supply chains, and building on what we have already got underway to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets. The review into the egg supply chain closed on 22 December, and the review of the fresh produce supply chain will close on 22 February. We will publish a summary of responses within 12 weeks of each consultation closing. The Government works closely with businesses through our delivery partner the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to overcome any barriers to redistribution. This includes the development of guidance and best practice through a sector wide working group, and support for the Target Measure Act approach to understanding and acting on food waste in supply chains, including the redistribution of any surplus should it arise and is supported by the National Farmers Union. Where the NFU stands on food waste – NFUonline Since 2018, Defra funding of nearly £13 million has supported both large and small redistribution organisations across the country to increase their capability and capacity. The total amount of food redistributed in the UK in 2022 was over 170,000 tonnes and a value of around £590 million, an increase of 133% since 2019.

Pesticides

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.

Mark Spencer: We will publish the National Action Plan (NAP) for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides in due course. It will set out Defra’s ambition to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment and the actions that need to be taken to deliver those goals. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is at the heart of our approach to support sustainable agricultural productivity, and we have not waited for the publication of the NAP to move forward with work to increase its uptake. Farmers can now sign up to paid IPM actions within the SFI scheme, through which they can be paid to complete an IPM assessment and produce an IPM plan; establish and maintain flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips; establish a companion crop and to move towards insecticide-free farming.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of the end of cross-compliance regulations for rural payments on (a) hedgerows, (b) soil cover and (c) watercourse buffer strips.

Mark Spencer: An assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of the removal of direct payments and cross compliance was published in September 2018, during the passage of the Agriculture Bill. We will seek to regulate to maintain hedgerow protections when parliamentary time allows. The gaps between cross compliance rules and regulatory requirements in regard to water buffer strips and soil cover are either mitigated by regulation such as through generalised provisions in Farming Rules for Water and the Water Resources Act, guidance like the Code of Practice of the use of Plant Protection Products, and standards in the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to replace the cross-compliance regulations for rural payments which ceased to have effect on 31 December 2023.

Mark Spencer: Farm standards following the end of cross compliance are being maintained through existing and ongoing domestic regulations that protect the environment, public, animal and plant health and animal welfare. These regulations cover most of the cross-compliance rules. Almost all of the rules that are not in underlying legislation have cover through existing and forthcoming guidance, regulation or incentives. We will seek to regulate to maintain hedgerow protections when parliamentary time allows.

Pesticides

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 191768 on Pesticides, what his revised timetable is for publishing the updated National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.

Mark Spencer: We will publish the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides shortly. It will set out Defra’s ambition to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment, including how we intend to increase the uptake of Integrated Pest Management across all sectors.

Animal Welfare: Convictions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of a central register for those convicted of any animal abuse which would be (a) be accessible to the public and (b) allow for the reporting of such crimes.

Mark Spencer: The Police National Computer holds all relevant information for prosecutions made for animal cruelty offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and the police may be approached by anyone who has concerns about whether someone should be keeping animals. The Department currently has no plans to establish a publicly accessible central register for those convicted of animal cruelty offences.

Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the movement of unaffected livestock while restrictions for Bluetongue disease are in place.

Mark Spencer: Upon detection of bluetongue disease in Kent in November and Norfolk in December during our routine surveillance, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) officials took immediate and robust action. Affected animals have been humanely culled and Temporary Control Zones have been put in place to prevent potential spread of disease by restricting movements of ruminant and camelid animals. Surveillance of susceptible animals and epidemiological assessments within these zones continue and we will review the need for the Zones when this is complete. Keepers of ruminants and camelids in the Zones can apply for licences to move for most purposes, including for welfare, movements into and within the zones and direct to slaughter. We continue to work closely with industry representatives to ensure that keepers are kept up to date with developments and that issues and concerns are addressed promptly.

Solar Power: Agriculture

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that Agricultural Land Classifications cannot be amended to facilitate approval of solar farm planning applications.

Rebecca Pow: The Agricultural Land Classification system in England and Wales (ALC) was developed to support planning policy and protect high quality agricultural land from loss to development. Land is assessed according to the extent that its physical or chemical characteristics impose long term limitations on agricultural use, using the approved criteria. The assessment does not consider land use. Instead, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.

Rivers: Biodiversity

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the (a) biodiversity (b) native fish stocks (c) native insect populations and (d) native plant populations in UK rivers.

Rebecca Pow: We recognise that rivers are an important national asset forming a key part of our natural environment by providing green and blue corridors along which biodiversity can flourish. We are committed to recovering nature, including restoring our freshwater habitats, which is why we have now set four legally binding targets for biodiversity in England. By 2030 we have committed to halt the decline in species abundance and by 2042 we aim to reverse species decline; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. Action towards these targets will drive essential improvements to our freshwater habitats. The indicator for our species abundance targets includes freshwater invertebrates, which are an indicator of the health of an overall water body, fish species and vascular plants. Wildlife-rich freshwater habitats, including rivers, will also be counted towards our habitats target. Restoration of these habitats will therefore be vital to delivery. We are taking a broad range of actions to increase the biodiversity of our rivers in England. We will shortly be able to announce successful applicants to our 25-million-pound Species Survival Fund grant scheme, which we launched last year, which will create and restore a range of habitat types, including rivers. Our Landscape Recovery scheme is aiming to provide over £40 million of funding for 56 projects. Projects under Round 1 are already underway and aiming to restore more than 600 km of rivers, including through the Adur River Restoration project and the Killerton Three Rivers Landscape Recovery project. We are also rolling out Nature Recovery Projects across the country to create improved and better-connected habitats for wildlife. We have launched 12 landscape-scale projects over the past two years across over 200,000 hectares of habitat. Many of these projects are supporting riverine habitats, for example the Lost Wetlands project in Cheshire is using nature-based solutions to connect wetlands to their rivers, recover ghost ponds and create riverine woodlands. Regarding fish stocks specifically, the Environment Agency funds projects that have a direct benefit to native fish populations. Fishing rod licence income is invested through the Fisheries Improvement Programme which includes barrier removal and fish passes. In 2022/23 the projects improved 52km of river, protected a further 20km and enhanced 237ha of Stillwater fisheries.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Mark Spencer: The department has no record of any ministerial boxes being lost or stolen in the last three years.

Food Supply: Inflation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on food security of trends in the level of inflation.

Mark Spencer: The Government’s UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) contains an analysis of statistical data relating to food security. Defra will publish the next version later this year, as required by the 2020 Agriculture Act. It will include analysis of the trends of price inflation, international commodity prices, energy and fertiliser prices in the context of UK food security.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice for (a) farmers and (b) others impacted.

Mark Spencer: The Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) sets out how designated retailers should manage their relationship with suppliers and was intended to protect food and drink suppliers to major supermarkets from being treated unfairly. It is enforced by the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA), and the most recent review published in July 2023 found the GCA to be an effective regulator.However, most farmers do not supply supermarkets directly and so they are not covered by the GSCOP. As a result, powers were introduced in the Agriculture Act 2020 to enable the introduction of statutory codes of contractual practice to protect farmers. Since then we have been undertaking supply chain fairness reviews into different sectors of farming to understand the specific issues that farmers face.Using these powers, we will be introducing new regulations on contractual standards for the dairy sector. We plan to introduce these into to Parliament before the Easter Recess. We expect to introduce regulations relating to the pork sector later in 2024. Two new supply chain fairness reviews were announced at the UK Farm to Fork summit on 16 May 2023, into the egg and fresh produce supply chains. We will analyse the responses and provide a summary of the findings and set out next steps.This issue was also discussed in a parliamentary debate that took place on 22 January in which Government set out its plans for supporting farmers.

Food: Labelling

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme on the competitiveness of British farmers relative to food producers overseas.

Mark Spencer: While Red Tractor is not a Government scheme, we recognise how important it is to work closely with industry, which is why the Food Standards Agency has an earned recognition relationship with Red Tractor. We will continue to work with industry bodies on the vital role they play in helping farmers do the right thing – giving communication and advice as well as upholding standards.

Birds of Prey: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to work with relevant bodies to help protect the buzzard (a) nationally and (b) in Romford constituency.

Rebecca Pow: The UK buzzard population has shown significant recovery since the 1900s and can now be found across most of the UK. With 63,000 breeding pairs across the species, it is not considered of conservation concern. However, the species can still be a victim of persecution. The Government takes wildlife crime seriously. Crime against birds of prey is a national wildlife crime priority and where any wild buzzard is killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to any proven perpetrators of the crime. Most wildlife crimes carry up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. Defra supports the work of Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle bird of prey persecution. In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25 to target wildlife crime priorities, in particular crimes against birds of prey. NWCU helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations.

Aquaculture: Shellfish

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11649 on Aquaculture: Shellfish, what steps his Department is taking to challenge the EU's restrictions on undepurated Class B live bivalve molluscs; and (b) through what mechanism those challenges are made.

Mark Spencer: We have challenged the EU's restrictions on undepurated Class B live bivalve molluscs through the mechanisms provided by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). These include the TCA SPS Committee, TCA Partnership Council and Trade Partnership Committee. Minutes of these Committees can be found at Trade and Cooperation Agreement Governance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Food: Labelling

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to increase the information provided by food labelling.

Mark Spencer: As the Secretary of State discussed in his speech at the Oxford Farming conference, we think there is an opportunity to improve transparency for consumers and ensure fairness for producers, so consumers can be fully confident about what they’re buying. We therefore intend to launch a rapid consultation on clearer labelling. The consultation will explore options for improving method of production labelling and country-of-origin labelling. It will explore how we can better highlight imports that do not meet UK welfare standards, and, in terms of country-of-origin labelling, look at improving how and where origin information is displayed - including for minimally processed meat, such as bacon and ham - and what products should be in scope. The exact details of the consultation will be published in due course.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme 2023 on (a) UK food security and (b) associated agribusinesses.

Mark Spencer: As part of the design of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) we have made both qualitative and quantitative assessments of the impact actions will have on food production and as such food security. Long term food security and agribusiness viability relies on farming becoming more sustainable and SFI is designed to support farmers in this. Many SFI actions are undertaken alongside agricultural operations and do not require land be taken out of production. Some actions within SFI are likely to take small areas of often marginally productive land out of production, lowering overall output for the farm in the short term. In the longer term this is likely to be offset by long term improvements in soil health and pollinator abundance which will support increased yields. Some actions in SFI will also reduce the need for fertilisers or pesticides leading to lower inputs and higher productivity. We have further schemes within the farming and countryside programme including for example the Farming Resilience Fund, the Farming Investment Fund and the Farming Innovation Programme which will further help to improve farm productivity in line with the government commitment on food security set out in the food strategy. Innovation funding will help to support and build the agribusiness economy and new opportunities may arise from environmental land management as markets for environmental goods and services are expanded or created.

Biodiversity Gain Site Register Regulations 2024

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Biodiversity Gain Site Register Regulations 2024 will come into force on 12 February 2024, in the context of their approval by both Houses in January 2024.

Rebecca Pow: The Biodiversity Gain Site Register (Financial Penalties and Fees) Regulations 2024 and The Biodiversity Gain (Town and Country Planning) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024, which were both subject to the affirmative procedure, were laid before parliament on 30 November 2023 and following debates on 8 and 10 January 2024 they were formally approved by parliament. The final four statutory instruments, subject to the negative procedure, were then laid before parliament on Friday 19 January 2024. Following the usual parliamentary procedure of allowing 21 days between laying legislation and it coming into force, the new mandatory biodiversity net gain requirement will come into force for major development, subject to the confirmed exemptions and transitional arrangements, on 12 February 2024.

Deer

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increased culling of wild deer on the capacity of the food processing sector.

Rebecca Pow: We are working with the British Wild Venison Working Group, and others involved in the venison supply chain, to keep the situation under review to ensure that capacity to process deer carcases and increase supply of venison aligns with an increased effort to manage deer and reduce their impact on food crops, forestry and biodiversity.

Wind Power: Birds of Prey

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of birds of prey (a) injured and (b) killed by wind turbines.

Rebecca Pow: The Government does not have estimates of the number of birds of prey killed by offshore wind turbines. The majority of evidence held relates to impacts to seabirds from collisions, displacement, and foraging pressures. The British Energy Security Strategy confirmed that the Government will bring forward an Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package. This will support the accelerated deployment of offshore wind developments while continuing to protect the marine environment. The package will include new Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which aim to reduce the impact of offshore wind development on the marine environment, including impacts on birds.

Wind Power: Birds of Prey

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of birds of prey (a) killed and (b) injured by wind turbines in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The British Energy Security Strategy confirmed that the Government will bring forward an Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package. This will support the accelerated deployment of offshore wind developments while continuing to protect the marine environment. The package will include new Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which aim to reduce the impact of offshore wind development on the marine environment, including impacts on birds.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT

Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Fifty-first Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2022-23 on Tackling Defra’s ageing digital services, HC 737, published on 10 May 2023, how much of the £871 million allocated in the 2021 Spending Review to be spent by his Department on digital investment over three years has been spent.

Mark Spencer: At least £381.5 million of the £871 million allocated in the 2021 Spending Review to be spent by Defra on digital investment has been spent as of 31 December 2023.Approximately £134 million of the £871 million was allocated to Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) for their own IT expenditure and so is monitored through individual ALB finance processes rather than central Defra finance.

Darwin Initiative

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been made available to each Darwin Plus project in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The UK Government continues to support conservation and biodiversity projects in the Overseas Territories, through initiatives such as the Darwin Plus Programme. The programme expanded in April 2023, offering greater levels of funding for Darwin Plus projects and the UK Government committed to make available, £10 million each year until 2025 to improve the natural environment of the Overseas Territories. The programme has made available: Darwin Plus Strategic: Funding between £1m-£3m.Darwin Plus Main: Between £100k-£1m for projects.Darwin Plus Local: Up to £20k for individuals and £50k for organisations.

Tree Planting: Finance

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2024 to Question 8421 on Tree Planting: Finance, for what reason the statistics for planting of trees in Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators, updated on 9 August 2023 are provisional for 2022/23; what the changes are in the revisions of previous years in that release; and for what reason the statistics are released on an annual basis.

Rebecca Pow: New planting of woodland and trees in England is reported in statistics derived from returns from a number of contributors and range of grant types. After first release of the statistics, it is possible for more accurate data to become available hence the reason the statistics are described as provisional. The Forestry Commission will normally make necessary revisions to new planting statistics when those figures next appear in any related publication including the Forestry Statistics report and its accompanying datasets, available from the Forest Research website at: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/. A key reason that statistics on new planting are published annually is that there is one tree planting season a year. The Forestry Commission does publish interim statistics on new planting in England for the first half of the financial year where data are available at mid-year, and these are available in its Headline Performance Updates, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forestry-commission-corporate-plan-performance-indicators. The Forestry Commission seeks to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics published on the UK Statistics Authority website, available at https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/.

Department for Education

Schools: Greater London

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support London’s schools and local authorities with falling school rolls.

Damian Hinds: The department recognises the challenge some schools face with falling rolls, particularly in London. London is attracting an additional £75.1 million of funding for schools in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24 through the schools Dedicated Schools Grant, which is an increase of 1.6% per pupil excluding growth funding. This takes the total funding for 2024/25 in London to over £7.4 billion, based on current pupil numbers. In the 2024/25 financial year, the department is changing how ‘growth and falling rolls funding’ is allocated to local authorities, so that this is based not only on increases in pupil numbers, but also decreases. This methodology will ensure that local authorities in which schools are experiencing significant decreases in pupil numbers will attract additional funding to support those schools. The restriction that schools must be judged ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in their last Ofsted inspection to be eligible for falling rolls funding has also been removed. The department is also broadening the scope of growth funding to allow local authorities to use growth funding to meet the revenue costs of removing surplus places. Such funding could support local authorities to repurpose space to create Special Educational needs and Disability (SEND) units, resourced bases, or wraparound childcare provision in mainstream schools. This is activity which we know many local authorities are already undertaking. More information is available in published guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2024-to-2025/growth-and-falling-rolls-fund-guidance-2024-to-2025.

Childcare

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of local authorities who have advised their local childcare providers of their hourly rate from 1 April 2024; and what steps she is taking to help ensure that childcare providers have adequate notice to prepare for the expanded roll-out.

David Johnston: The 2024/25 government hourly funding rates for all the early years entitlements for individual local authorities were announced on 29 November 2023 to reflect the funding uplifts and the national living wage increase. The department is in close communication with local authorities and recognises the need to ensure childcare providers have early confirmation of their early years funding rates for 2024/25. The department now anticipates that all local authorities will have confirmed funding rates that come into force from 1 April 2024 no later than the end of February 2024. As of 31 January 2024, the department can confirm that over 40 local authorities in England have published their final funding rates for providers. Where local authorities have not yet published the final rates, the vast majority have provided indicative rates to their providers to support in their business planning.On 2 February 2024, the department also took steps to provide greater funding certainty to nurseries and childcare providers going forwards. Each year, the government sets out funding rates in the autumn, to take effect in the following financial year. A window, likely to be 8 weeks, will be introduced, within which local authorities have to confirm rates, after the point the department announces local authority hourly rates. The department will work with the sector in the coming weeks to finalise the approach.

Pupils: Nutrition

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve nutrition education in schools.

Damian Hinds: The government wants to support the health and wellbeing of everyone. The department understands the importance of education in delivering this aim and the department is supporting schools in a number of ways to provide high quality nutrition education for their students. Nutrition is a discrete strand of the national curriculum for Design and Technology (D&T). This was introduced as part of the 2014 D&T curriculum and is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves and others healthy and affordable food. A food preparation and nutrition GCSE was introduced in September 2016. It requires pupils to understand and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating when preparing and cooking food. The importance of nutrition is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. Nutrition through healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions. The statutory guidance for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education includes content on the importance of daily exercise, good nutrition and the risks associated with an inactive lifestyle, including obesity. Throughout the guidance, there is an emphasis on empowering young people to make choices and adopt lifestyles that will increase their chance of living happy and healthy lives to support the agenda on tackling obesity. To support teachers to deliver the healthy eating topic, the department has developed a teacher training module which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health#train-teachers-on-relationships-sex-and-health-education. The government also supports the provision of nutritious food in schools, which ensures pupils are well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and can concentrate and learn. The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. The School Food Standards are part of the government’s drive to help children adopt healthy eating habits from a young age. The department provides a number of resources for schools, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools. The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme also provides over 2.2 million children in reception and key stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school. Schools are encouraged to use it as an opportunity to educate children and to assist a healthy, balanced diet. The Oak National Academy will be providing a fully resourced curriculum for key stages 1 to 3 for food and nutrition. This will align with the national curriculum and Oak’s guiding principles, which focus on the knowledge and skills specific to food and nutrition. Oak have assured the department that pupils will be able to cook more than six savoury dishes by the end of key stage three by following their food curriculum.

STEM Subjects: Higher Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the uptake of STEM subjects studied at universities.

Robert Halfon: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments across all UK higher education (HE) providers. This includes data on full person equivalents (FPE) enrolled in different subject areas, categorised using the HE coding of subjects (HECoS) system. Counts of enrolments across all science subjects from 2019/20 to 2021/22 are published in Table 52 of HESA’s Student Data at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-52. HESA developed the HECoS system to replace the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) from the 2019/20 academic year onwards. Counts of enrolments across all science subjects from 2014/15 to 2018/19 are still available and published in Table 22 of HESA’s Student Data at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-22. Due to the change in subject classification system, figures for 2018/19 and earlier are not directly comparable with more recent years. Caution is therefore advised when interpreting data over a longer time series. For more information on JACS and HECoS see: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos. More recent data on acceptances by subject to full-time undergraduate courses for the 2023 admissions cycle is available from UCAS here: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2023.

Schools: Milk

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure the provision of non-dairy milk products in (a) schools and (b) other early-years learning environments.

Damian Hinds: The government’s School Food Standards (SFS) regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and other times of the school day. Although schools are required to make milk available, the SFS (Schedule 1) also enables schools to provide a variety of other drinks including plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium and combination, and flavoured variations of these drinks to suit particular medical, dietary and cultural needs. School food policies work best when schools discuss them with parents and pupils, so that parents can raise pupils’ particular dietary needs. There is a requirement within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework that all registered early years settings must ensure that: ‘where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious’. The EYFS also states that before a child is admitted to the setting the provider must also obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that the child has, and any special health requirements. The department believes that schools and early year settings are best placed to make decisions about their food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their children. In doing so, the department expects settings to make reasonable adjustments for children with particular requirements, for example to reflect dietary and cultural needs.

Pupils: Nutrition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help promote healthy eating in schools.

Damian Hinds: I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer of 9 January 2024 to Question 8739.

English Language and Mathematics: GCSE

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10317 on English Language and Mathematics: GCSE, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by their prior grade at age 16 in the corresponding qualification only.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10317 on English Language and Mathematics: GCSE, how many and what proportion of young people from a disadvantaged background achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by their prior grade at age 16 in the corresponding qualification only.

Damian Hinds: The attached table presents post-16 English and mathematics GCSE attainment by prior attainment in those subjects by disadvantage status in 2021/22, the latest academic year where the data is available. It is based on the cohort of young people who turned 19 in 2021/22, but were educated in the state-sector at age 15 to enable analysis by pupil characteristics. Prior attainment is determined by matching a young person’s attainment post-16 to that pre-16 as recorded by awarding bodies. In some cases, prior attainment will not be known if the young person has no record of taking any assessment. Trends in attainment at GCSE post-16 should be read alongside trends in other level 2 qualifications taken by the 16 to 19 cohort, as there could be changes over time in the types of qualifications young people enter at that level. Further information on level 2 qualifications in English and mathematics entered by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged young people over time is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0c8db91f-4d8a-4300-e6ed-08dc2185b3c8. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years were cancelled. Instead, for 2020/21, pupils were only assessed on the content they had been taught for each course. Schools were given flexibility to decide how to assess their pupils’ performance, for example through mock exams, class tests, and non-exam assessment already completed. GCSE grades were then determined by teachers based on the range of evidence available and they are referred to as teacher-assessed grades. Attainment rates for these periods should be considered with this in mind. We know that English and mathematics attainment is important and want to ensure everyone leaves education with the English and mathematics skills they need to participate in society, and climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future. That is why all 16 to 18-year-olds who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in English and/or mathematics are required to continue studying these crucial subjects. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below are not required to sit GCSEs again and can study towards a pass in functional skills level 2. To further enhance the support for these students as part of our plans for the Advanced British Standard, the department has announced increased investment of around £150 million per year across each of the next two years.11875_11876_table (xlsx, 28.1KB)

Department for Education: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Damian Hinds: The Environmental Principles were introduced in the Environment Act 2021 and came into force on 1 November 2023. The purpose of the environmental principles is to guide Ministers and policymakers towards opportunities to prevent environmental damage and enhance the environment.The Environmental Principles Policy Statement is a statutory document. The Environment Act requires a Minister of the Crown to have ‘due regard’ to this policy statement when making policy. The duty applies to all policy across government (not just environmental policy) subject to limited exemptions laid out in section 19 (3) of the Environment Act for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.Policymaking is typically undertaken by government departments making policy on behalf of Ministers of the Crown. Some of the department’s arm’s length bodies may also develop policy for Ministers. In those instances, their policymaking would be in scope of this duty. However, in most cases these arm’s length bodies are not developing or making government policy and would therefore be out of scope of the duty. The duty does not require the department to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty. Each arm’s length body is responsible for determining whether the policies it develops are in scope of the duty and for providing appropriate advice to Ministers.The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Pre-school Education: Pupil Premium

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to extend the eligibility criteria for the early years pupil premium to children aged 9 months to three years who receive the 15 hours childcare entitlement in 2024.

David Johnston: The early years pupil premium is currently available for 3 and 4-year-olds eligible for the early years entitlements. From April 2024, the early years pupil premium will be extended to all eligible 2-year-olds and from September 2024 to all eligible children aged 9-months to 3-year-old accessing the early years entitlements. This will be payable on a maximum of 15 hours per week, or 570 hours per year.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing special educational needs inclusion funding directly to providers based on identified need rather than through the early years national funding formula.

David Johnston: The early years national funding formulae contain an additional needs element, to take account of the number of children with additional needs in an area. This is important to ensure local authority level rates, and therefore allocations, reflect the needs of children in their area. Local authorities establish Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funds (SENIFs) locally, using the early years block (distributed via the aforementioned formulae) and high needs blocks of their Dedicated Schools Grant allocation. More information on this allocation is available at: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2024-to-2025. These funds are intended to support local authorities to work with providers to address the needs of individual children with Special Educational Needs who are taking up the entitlements and can be passed on direct to providers by local authorities. The government’s response on 20 September 2023 to the consultation on expanding the early education entitlements reiterated the department’s commitment, made in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan of March 2023, to undertake a review of the way local authorities operate their SENIFs. The department intends to conduct a detailed assessment of the SENIF arrangements that local authorities currently have in place, looking at how SENIFs are being used nationally and how far they are meeting current need. The department will look to draw examples of best practice together, with a view to sector-wide dissemination, and recommend longer term changes that will improve the extent to which SENIFs can meet the needs of children taking up the entitlements.

Department for Education: Ministers' Private Offices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any refurbishments have been made to ministerial offices in her Department in each of the last two years.

Damian Hinds: The department is undertaking a maintenance project in its London office. The works were initiated in 2019, as part of much wider government programme to reduce the number of civil servants based in London and to shrink the physical footprint of office accommodation in Whitehall and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. This is primarily essential work to replace the end of life mechanical and electrical systems, bring the building up to a suitable standard, and enable the department to consolidate its occupation. This will enable the building to become a Government Property Agency hub and provide vacant space to be used by other governmental departments.As part of the consolidation, Ministers will be required to move to another floor. The work to enable this move is underway and due to complete in spring 2024.

Agriculture: Further Education

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support land-based education.

Robert Halfon: Land-based colleges play a central role in meeting local and national skills needs, including supporting the department's commitments on Net Zero. These colleges are significant assets to their local communities, enabling people of all backgrounds to gain sought-after skills, get good jobs and climb the ladder of opportunity.Departmental officials are working closely with Landex and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to develop a strategy for land-based colleges which recognises their central role in supporting the delivery of key national priorities. This strategy will position land-based colleges within the Green Jobs Plan as hubs of skills training and technical innovation, boosting take-up in rural areas of high-quality skills training and ensuring high-quality, updated technical qualifications are available in each local area.In addition to receiving capital funding, land-based colleges have benefitted from the £300 million the department has invested in the 21 employer led Institutes of Technology, which are leading the development of technical qualifications in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics related areas.In the 2023/24 academic year, land-based colleges also benefitted from a significant uplift in the specialist programme cost weighting from 1.75 to 1.975. This means where young people are taking specialist land-based courses at these institutions, they now attract a 97.5% uplift on the core funding rate.

Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of apprentices completed their endpoint assessment (a) on the date of, (b) one to three months after, (c) three to six months after and (d) more than six months after completing their apprenticeship in the 2021-22 academic year.

Robert Halfon: The below table shows achievers (rounded to the nearest 100) on apprenticeship standards in the 2021/22 academic year.Months from last learning to end of EPAAchievementsProportion of total (%)EPA within a month of last learning12,00010.5%EPA 1-3 months after last learning76,30066.3%EPA 3-6 months after last learning18,20015.8%EPA more than 6 months after last learning8,6007.5%Total115,100100%

Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11344 on Apprentices, for what reasons were there no apprenticeship starts in the two lowest funding bands in the 2022-23 academic year.

Robert Halfon: There are no apprenticeship standards that have funding bands of £1,500 and £2,000.

Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 10141 on Apprenticeships, whether her Department holds this data for any academic year since 2010/11.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of apprenticeship courses were not completed in each academic year since 2016-17.

Robert Halfon: The department does not hold information on the number of apprentices starting during the 2010/11 academic year onwards that do not go on to subsequently complete their apprenticeship. Data is published on apprentices who were due to achieve (successfully complete) their apprenticeship in a particular academic year, regardless of the year they started. The following links provide achievement rates for which we have data published going back to 2012/13: National Achievement Rate Tables 2012/13 to 2018/19: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sfa-national-success-rates-tables.National Achievement Rate Tables 2019/20 to 2020/21: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/2021-22#content-12.National Achievement Rate Tables 2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/2022-23#content-7.

Apprentices: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many companies have received training subsidies from the apprenticeship levy in each of the last three years.

Robert Halfon: The government introduced the apprenticeship levy to incentivise larger businesses to develop and invest in their own apprenticeship programmes whilst ensuring the availability of funding for smaller employers wanting to offer apprenticeships. The levy has supported the government to increase investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year and supports employers of all sizes to boost the skills of their workforces. Employers in England who pay the apprenticeship levy can access funds for apprenticeship training and assessment by registering for an apprenticeship service account. Since April 2021, all non-levy paying employers hiring new apprentices have accessed funds through apprenticeship service accounts. The table below shows the number of employer accounts on the apprenticeship service that have accessed funds for apprenticeship training and assessment in each of the last three academic years. Academic Year2020/212021/222022/23Number of employer accounts accessing funds64,410 *106,786118,516 *To note that this data does not include employers who started an apprenticeship prior to April 2021 with a training provider who held a contract with the Education and Skills Funding Agency. As non-levy paying employers started accessing funding via the Apprenticeship Service from January 2020, this means that the figure above for 2020/21 will significantly underrepresent the total number of employers accessing funding.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

India: Violence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the reported violence in Ayodhya, India.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government recognises that the consecration of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya was an important event for many in India, and we appreciate how strongly many Hindus and Muslims around the world feel about this issue. Reports of violence linked to the inauguration are a matter for the Indian police and legal system. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India, and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including concerns where we have them.

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

Ruth Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policies of expulsion threats against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan; and whether his Department has taken steps to tackle those threats.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government condemns all instances of hate and discrimination directed towards minority religious communities, including Ahmadi Muslims. We continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October. The UK government continues to fund projects with local Pakistani organisations to empower minority religious communities and to tackle online hate-speech.

United Nations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the UN on the potential merits of taking further steps to help protect (a) members of expert panels mandated by the Security Council and (b) other UN (i) investigators and (ii) researchers from reprisals for their work.

Leo Docherty: The UK Mission to the UN regularly engages with the UN regarding personnel issues, including the general safety and wellbeing of its staff. This engagement includes frequent contact with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on safeguarding procedures against reprisals for those who cooperate with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the UN more broadly. Concerning individual cases, the UK Mission to the UN has held recent discussions with the Security Council Affairs Division regarding the safety of Panel of Expert members.

Elections: Bangladesh

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2024 to Question 8779 on Artificial Intelligence: Elections, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the use of deepfakes during recent elections in Bangladesh.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We noted the results of the Bangladesh Election on 7 January. As democratic elections depend on credible, open, and fair competition, we are concerned by the reported use of deepfakes and AI generated disinformation to undermine the democratic process in Bangladesh. The UK Government works continuously to understand, assess and address the risks presented by emerging and critical technologies. In the lead up to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit, a suite of products was published by the Government to help inform the public and Summit participants of our assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI.

Gaza: Israel

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that the Israeli government is implementing the International Court of Justice’s decision on the request for provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Leo Docherty: We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative. We have long advocated for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid. We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

UNRWA: Finance

Chris Law: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether representations were made to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the UK's funding of UNRWA in meetings with Israeli government officials during his most recent visit to that country.

Leo Docherty: The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is temporarily pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations. We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it.

Gaza: Genocide

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the consistency of (a) the decision to pause future funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and (b) paragraph 86(4) of the International Court of Justice's Order relating to the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel), published on 26 January 2024.

Leo Docherty: We are appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.However, we remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, and our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands, and we are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines.We are also clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

Hamas: Finance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what mechanisms are in place to disrupt Hamas’ financial networks.

Leo Docherty: The UK, along with our G7 partners, is committed to taking action to deny Hamas the ability to raise and use funds to carry out atrocities. Hamas is a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000, meaning it is a criminal offence in the UK to provide money or other property to the group. Since the 7 October attacks on Israel, the UK has also designated 19 individuals and entities in the senior leadership and financial networks of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), in close coordination with the US. This adds to the existing sanctions on Hamas and PIJ in their entirety. We have also used our new Iran sanctions powers to target Iranian financial support for Hamas. As the Foreign Secretary has said, our sanctions send a clear message that the UK is committed to ensuring there is no hiding place for those financing terrorist activities.

UNRWA: Finance

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Oral Statement of the Minister of State of 29 January 2024, on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Official Report, columns 620-622, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the temporary pause in funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), announced on 27 January 2024, on Palestinian refugees in (a) Jordan, (b) Lebanon, (c) Syria, (d) East Jerusalem, (e) West Bank and (f) Gaza.

Leo Docherty: We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the those who desperately need it, and our decision to pause future funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response, whether in Gaza or the wider region. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands, and we are getting on with aid delivery to the region through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. We will continue to support and have supported the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. 750 tonnes of life-saving food aid arrived in the first delivery and 315 tonnes in the second delivery.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm's length body, which are:• made by Ministers of the Crown; and• not covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Gaza: Telecommunications

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has had discussions with cellular network providers in Gaza on the adequacy of telecommunication services in that region.

Leo Docherty: We are deeply concerned about the severely damaged telecommunications and internet networks in Gaza, which are causing repeated near total communications blackouts. This is limiting the ability of Palestinians in Gaza to communicate and greatly hampers the humanitarian response. Officials are in regular contact with Paltel, the leading telecommunications company in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We recognise the strenuous efforts of Paltel's staff in Gaza to make repairs and maintain services, at great risk to themselves. The Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the OPTs is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching and being delivered across Gaza.

Development Aid: Trade Unions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of trade unions on their work in international development.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: International development is a partnership, and the voices of our partners were central to the UK's White Paper on international development, published in November 2023. We consulted partners in the UK and around the world, and were pleased to receive one response from a national union in this country.

Ukraine: USA

Richard Foord: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has had discussions with Donald Trump's presidential campaign team on US support for Ukraine.

David Rutley: The UK and the US have been at the forefront of support to Ukraine since the beginning of Putin's illegal invasion. The Foreign Secretary travelled to Washington on 6-7 December where he heard strong support from all sides for future military and non-military aid. We will continue to work with US counterparts to deepen and strengthen our mutual priorities. Continued US support, funding, and leadership through 2024 is critical for Ukraine's prospects against Russia's continued egregious actions. We hope that US Congress will be able to agree a new funding package for Ukraine as part of its wider ongoing budget negotiations.

International Assistance: Education

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with international counterparts on the content of education funded through multilateral organisations; and whether that funding includes provisions for teaching maths and science to girls.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to supporting foundational learning (literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional skills) for all. Foundational learning is critical for achieving higher order skills and effective understanding of STEM subjects from an early age. The UK is a leading donor to the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait and uses its influence on their governing boards to ensure foundational learning and education for marginalised girls are priorities. It is not possible to directly track the use of UK core funding to multilateral organisations, such as UNICEF and the World Bank.

Sudan: Development Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure a continued supply of aid to Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK's top humanitarian priority in Sudan is to secure humanitarian access and operational security guarantees for humanitarian agencies. We continue to work with international partners, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to press the parties to allow unfettered humanitarian access, and for the provision of continued support for the Sudanese people. The UK continues to provide assistance to the many people in need in Sudan through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million for 2023-2024. In the next financial year 2024/2025 the UK bilateral ODA to Sudan will double, to £89 million.

European Political Community: Conferences

John Healey: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, on what date he plans to host the 4th European Political Community Summit.

Leo Docherty: We value the European Political Community (EPC) as an important platform for coordination and discussion on pan-European issues. We are consulting partners about the UK EPC Summit and will make an announcement in due course.

UK Special Representative for Climate Change

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, for what reason the role of Special Representative on Climate Change was discontinued.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government and is a central focus of our diplomatic relations on a daily basis.Our senior representation on climate and environment has grown significantly since the creation of the FCDO, and expanded further since the UK's COP Presidency including two dedicated directors leading on climate and environment, and on energy security respectively.Since 2011 we have directly supported over 100 million people in coping with the effects of climate change, provided just under 70 million people with improved access to clean energy, and reduced or avoided greenhouse gas emissions by 86 million tonnes.

Developing Countries: Poverty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the report by the UN entitled The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, published on 9 May 2022, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle poverty in the countries identified in that report as having the highest number of people living in extreme poverty.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is firmly committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s and the fundamental principle to 'Leave No one Behind'. The International Development White Paper sets out how we will reinvigorate progress on the Goals and work with partners to address the interlinked challenges of poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss. The UK will prioritise its Official Development Assistance (ODA) where it is most needed and most effective, aiming to spend 50 per cent of all bilateral ODA in the least developed countries. We are increasing our support for the poorest and most vulnerable, including plans to nearly double our aid allocations to low-income countries in 2024-25.

Somaliland: Red Sea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2024 to Question 10054 on Ethiopia: Somaliland, whether he has made an assessment on the potential impact of an independent Somaliland on the security of the Red Sea.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK remains committed to securing the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, and we are closely monitoring the wider maritime security situation. Our position remains that Somaliland's status is an issue for Somalia and Somaliland, to resolve through dialogue.

Ghana: Capital Punishment

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of whether the death sentences given to six people in Ghana in January 2024 will be carried out; and whether he has had recent discussions with his Ghanaian counterpart on this issue.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and congratulates Ghana for its recent abolition of the death penalty for ordinary crimes. We encourage Ghana to sign the second optional protocol on International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which abolishes capital punishment for all crimes, including treason which relates to the recent sentencing. Ghana has not carried out an execution since 1993, but courts have continued to hand down death sentences. I [Minister Mitchell] raised the recent sentences with the Vice President and leaders of the Foreign Affairs Committee during my recent trip to Ghana.

Israel: Palestinians

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the remarks by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 20 January 2024 relating to his position on the creation of a Palestinian state.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people; Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state, and the Palestinian Authority has an important long-term role to play. We must work with our allies to provide serious, practical and enduring support needed to bolster the Palestinian Authority.We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.There are five vital steps:- A political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.- The formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package.- Removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel.- The release of all Israeli hostages.- Hamas no longer in charge of Gaza.The Foreign Secretary has reiterated these messages with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during his visit to Israel on 24 January.

Gaza: Children

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to help provide targeted psychosocial support for children in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are supporting NGO partners to mobilize and deploy Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) teams and volunteers across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We are also supporting UNICEF to help children, adolescents and caregivers affected by the conflict with emergency and child protection services, including MHPSS.

Israel: Palestinians

Paula Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the Israeli government's policy on a two-state solution.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people; Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state, and the Palestinian Authority has an important long-term role to play. We must work with our allies to provide serious, practical and enduring support needed to bolster the Palestinian Authority.We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.There are five vital steps:- A political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.- The formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package.- Removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel.- The release of all Israeli hostages.- Hamas no longer in charge of Gaza.The Foreign Secretary has reiterated these messages with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during his visit to Israel on 24 January.

Gaza: Genocide

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the International Court of Justice’s decision on the request for provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip, whether he plans to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, and then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. The vital steps to achieve this are:a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solutionthe formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support packageremoving Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israelthe release of all Israeli hostagesHamas being no longer in charge of Gaza.The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated these messages in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January.

Israel: Palestinians

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Israel on the potential merits of creating a two-state solution with Palestine.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. These are the vital steps:A political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.The formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package.Removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel.The release of all Israeli hostages.Hamas no longer in charge of Gaza.The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated these messages in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January.We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

Gaza: Genocide

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure implementation in full of the International Court of Justice's Order relating to the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel), published on 26 January 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO has welcomed the Court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza.We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.We respect the role and independence of the ICJ. However, we have also stated that we have considerable concerns about this case. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.

Gaza: Genocide

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his (a) Israeli counterpart and (b) the UK’s international allies on the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO has welcomed the Court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza.We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have also stated that we have considerable concerns about this case. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Disability

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled people with mobility problems into employment.

Mims Davies: The Government has a wide range of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with mobility problems, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include:The Work and Health Programme providing tailored and personalised support for disabled people;Access to Work grants helping towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;Disability Confident encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face in the workplace;A digital information service for employers providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting health and disability in the workplace;Increasing access to occupational health, including the testing of financial incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed;Increased Work Coach support in Jobcentres for disabled people and people with health conditions to help them move towards and in to work;Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;Introducing Employment Advisors to Musculoskeletal Conditions (MSK) services in England, helping individuals with MSK conditions to return to or remain in employment.Work in partnership between the DWP and health systems, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies, and the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) programme, a Supported Employment model (place, train and maintain) delivered in health settings, aimed at people with physical or common mental health disabilities to support them to access paid jobs in the open labour market.Building on existing provision and the £2 billion investment announced at the Spring Budget, we announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023. This includes:Doubling the number of places on the Universal Support employment programme, to provide support for 100,000 people per year when fully rolled out;Formally launching WorkWell, which will bring together the NHS, local authorities and other partners, in collaboration with jobcentres, to provide light touch work and health support in approximately 15 pilot areas;Building on the extension of the certification of the fit notes to a wider range of healthcare professions, exploring new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to work and health support; andEstablishing an expert group to support the development of the voluntary national baseline for Occupational Health provision.

Veterans: Employment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s work with third sector organisations to deliver employment support to veterans.

Mims Davies: DWP supports people across the country to move into and progress in work through a range of support including face-to-face time with Work Coaches, job-search advice and more intensive employment programmes. Specifically on veterans, DWP takes its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. Veterans who need support from the department in finding employment are able to get support from their Work Coach. For those who might need extra specialist support, we have a network of Armed Forces Champions spread throughout the Jobcentre Plus network. Veterans have early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. Other employment support may be available to veterans depending on their circumstances, including specialist local support provided by the third sector which the department may be able to refer them to. Veterans generally enjoy successful employment outcomes when they leave the services, and the Career Transition Partnership has published annual statistics on those they have supported.

Veterans: Employment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the (a) quantity and (b) quality of data on veterans in the labour market.

Mims Davies: Official data on the labour market is the responsibility of the independent Office for National Statistics, who regularly publish this data here. The ONS are currently undertaking a project to transform the Labour Force Survey – the primary source of labour market information in the UK, further details are published here. As part of the LFS transformation the ONS have been reviewing the questions they ask households; as well as taking a new approach to surveying the public that gives them greater flexibility too more quickly change the questions they ask households, to reflect the key needs of the day. Data on veterans is currently being collected by the ONS on an experimental basis as part of the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS). The TLFS data is under review, and it is expected that the TLFS will become available for wider analysis in the third quarter of 2024.

Personal Independence Payment: Charcot Marie Tooth Disease

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training personal independence providers receive on the effect of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease on a claimant's ability to work.

Mims Davies: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means-tested benefit available to disabled people regardless of their employment status. The PIP assessment focuses on a claimant’s ability to carry out a range of activities which are fundamental to living an independent life. It is designed to help working aged people with the extra costs associated with their disability. It does not assess a claimant's ability to work.PIP assessment providers (APs) are required to ensure that all health professionals (HPs) carrying out assessments undergo comprehensive training in the functional assessment to become experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on the individual claimant's daily life.Whilst HPs do not receive specific training relating to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, they have access to a range of resources as well as experienced clinicians who can support them in assessing individuals with conditions that they may not be familiar with. HPs also keep their knowledge up to date through continuous professional development and APs engage with medical experts, charities, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their training programmes.The Health and Disability White Paper committed to developing the skills of HPs. In addition, we have started a small-scale proof-of-concept test matching certain claimants' primary health condition to an existing HP with relevant clinical experience. As part of this, we are exploring opportunities for HPs to undertake additional training.

Anxiety

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what clinical definition of anxiety his Department uses.

Mims Davies: The Department does not use a specific clinical definition of anxiety as Work Capability Assessments and Personal Independence Payment assessments are functional assessments that focus on the impacts of a person’s health condition or disability on their daily life, rather than the diagnosis itself.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming disability benefits cited mental health issues as a reason for claiming those benefits in 2023.

Mims Davies: Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) can be found on Stat-Xplore. In particular, the requested data can be found in ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement’ dataset by going to ‘Disability’ and choosing ‘Psychiatric disorders’ from the drop-down list. The same can be done to ‘DLA: Cases with entitlement - Data from May 2018’ and ‘AA: Cases with entitlement - Data from May 2018’ dataset by going to ‘Main Disability Condition’ and choosing the mental health conditions you are interested in from the drop-down list. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP, DLA, and AA computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.You may also wish to filter for “DWP policy ownership” under Geography due to the devolution of some disability benefits to Scotland. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Access to Work Programme: Civil Servants

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many civil servants are employed in roles relating to the administration of the Access to Work scheme as of 30 January 2024.

Mims Davies: As of 30 January 2024, there were 487.48 full time equivalent civil servants employed to administer Access to Work. Please note that the data supplied is from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Household Support Fund

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of a decision on the continuation of the Household Support Fund on the operation of local authority support services.

Jo Churchill: The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the Government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.

Fraud

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on fraud recovery in each financial year since 2020-21.

Paul Maynard: The level of information requested is unclear/not held as it is unclear which elements of the department’s spending on fraud, error and debt this request relates to. Details of current spending allocations for counter-fraud activities can be found at Figure 7 on page 297 of the department’s Annual Report and Accounts published on 6 July 2023 - Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 for the year ended 31 March 2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Pension Protection Fund

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the evidence given by the Pensions Minister to the Work and Pensions Committee on 10 January 2024, HC 144, what plans he has to amend (a) indexation, (b) the 90% compensation cap and (c) any other issues relating to the Pension Protection Fund; and if he will publish any relevant documentation on those matters.

Paul Maynard: While all pensions legislation is kept under review as a matter of course, there are currently no plans to amend (a) the Pension Protection Fund rules on indexation or (b) the 90% rule on Pension Protection Fund compensation payments. These are complex matters and require careful consideration before any changes are made. There is no documentation for publication in relation to these matters at this time.

Child Maintenance Service

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service enforces the collection of child maintenance payments from parents who are not living with their children.

Paul Maynard: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of enforcement powers at its disposal to ensure parents meet their financial obligations to their children. These include deductions directly from earnings and bank accounts, using Enforcement Agents (previously known as bailiffs) to take control of goods, forcing the sale of property, removal of driving licence or UK passport or even commitment to prison. In 2023, The Government supported The Child Support (Enforcement) Act. This will allow the Child Maintenance Service to streamline the enforcement process by removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order and instead allow the Secretary of State to issue an administrative liability order. This will replace the court-based system and speed up the enforcement process. In October 2023, The Government consulted on "Accelerating Enforcement" to inform proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders. We will be publishing the Government response shortly.

Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Paul Maynard: The Departmental Security Team records and investigates each reported loss or theft of ministerial red boxes from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.No ministerial red boxes have been reported lost or stolen to the Department’s Security Team in each of the last 3 years.

Department for Work and Pensions: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Paul Maynard: The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty. The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are:made by Ministers of the Crown; andnot covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defense or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government. The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Bereavement Support Payment

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the eligibility criteria of the bereavement support payment to include separatedparents.

Paul Maynard: Bereavement Support Payment is available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. Parents who are separated but still in a legal union may still access this benefit provided their deceased spouse or civil partner was not in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children on the date of death. We currently have no plans to change the eligibility criteria for Bereavement Support Payment.

Child Maintenance Service

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to improve collect and pay compliance.

Paul Maynard: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) continues to take rigorous action to collect maintenance, combining robust negotiation activity with the highly effective use of its extensive range of Enforcement Powers. This approach is driven by the Payment Compliance strategy increasing CMS compliance influencing activities to tackle non-paying cases and challenge non-compliant behaviours. CMS applies a Continuous Improvement focus to Enforcement strategy and processes.From the latest CMS official statistics, in the quarter ending In the quarter ending September 2023, of 180,000 Paying Parents due to pay via the Collect and Pay service:57,000 (31%) paid no maintenance130,000 (69%) paid some maintenance, of which: 40,000 (22%) paid up to 90% of the maintenance due for the quarter (further breakdowns of this group are available on Stat-Xplore) 85,000 (47%) paid over 90% of the maintenance due for the quarterFurther detail on compliance is provided in the About these statistics section of this release.As a result of this intense effort The Child Maintenance Service has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through Collect & Pay. This was as high as 17% in March 2015.CMS does not hesitate to step in and move a case to collect & pay as soon as they are notified payments are not being made. Around 3% of direct pay arrangements move to collect and pay each quarter – a small percentage but this shows that parents can and do move to collect and pay to secure help in getting their child maintenance payments. With the focus of improving customer outcomes, there has been an increase from 64% to 69% of customers who are paying anything towards their maintenance via collect & pay since September 2022.The published statistics provides data to September 2023 - Section 6. Paying Parents and the Collect and Pay service and National Tables, table 5 Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We’ve announced measures to significantly speed up CMS enforcement processes that will reduce the time it takes to secure a liability order from 22 weeks to as low as 6 weeks. A consultation on detailed proposals has recently concluded and the Government response will be published shortly.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Solar Power

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential role of ground-mounted solar farms in increasing solar deployment to 70 gigawatts by 2035.

Andrew Bowie: As published in the British Energy Security Strategy and Energy Security Plan, we are aiming for 70 gigawatts of ground-mount and rooftop solar capacity by 2035. We will publish a Solar Roadmap in 2024, setting out a clear step-by-step trajectory.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people qualified for the Warm Homes Discount in winter (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Amanda Solloway: For 2022/23, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 September 2023 to Question UIN 195896. For 2023/24, the Government will publish statistics on eligibility for a rebate under the core group of the Warm Home Discount scheme in the summer. The final figures on the support provided in the 2023/24 scheme year will be confirmed in Ofgem’s annual report in late 2024 or early 2025.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to her Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was established in February 2023 as a result of the Machinery of Government changes, so records only exist for one year. The following table includes the number of lost or stolen ministerial red boxes from DESNZ for 2023.  2023Lost0Stolen0 The Departmental Security Unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.

Solar Power

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of rooftop solar panels to help (a) tackle climate change, (b) cut energy bills, and (c) create jobs.

Andrew Bowie: Rooftop solar panels can play a significant role in helping to mitigate climate change and reducing energy bills, while creating jobs. That is why the Government is aiming for 70 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2035 and has established a joint Government-industry taskforce, with a subgroup focussed specifically on rooftop solar, to drive forward deployment. The Government is also working to publish a solar roadmap this spring, setting out a clear step by step deployment trajectory.

Wind Power: Highlands of Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will commission a feasibility study into the creation of a new manufacturing centre of excellence supporting the manufacture of wind turbines in the Highlands of Scotland.

Andrew Bowie: The Government has announced the £960 million Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support manufacturing capacity, including for offshore wind. This will enable the UK to seize growth opportunities from the transition to net zero, unlocking private investment and creating new jobs. The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport will act as a focal point for green growth in the Highlands, offering incentives to attract inward investment and stimulate innovation. The Government also continues to work with industry, through the Offshore Wind Industry Council, to assess offshore wind supply chain needs and opportunities and develop a long-term Industrial Growth Plan.

Energy: Prices

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce energy bills.

Amanda Solloway: Energy prices have fallen significantly in the last year with the Q1 2024 price cap of £1,928 being significantly less than the Q1 2023 price cap which peaked at £4,279. Despite this, the Government is continuing to support those who need it the most, with over £104 billion in support, or £3,700 per household on average, being delivered between 2022 – 2025. Millions of households are receiving up to £900 in further cost-of-living payments, in addition to established support for vulnerable households such as the Winter Fuel Payment worth between £250 - £600 and the £150 Warm Home Discount.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she last had discussions with her French counterpart on (a) national security and (b) other matters relating to the AQUIND Interconnector Project.

Graham Stuart: My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State, has not had any conversations with her French counterparts in relation to the Aquind interconnector project.

Aquind

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Ministers in her Department (a) met and (b) spoke to (i) directors and (ii) other representatives of Aquind Energy in the last year.

Graham Stuart: Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in our transparency data, which is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/desnz-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings, Data covering the 1 October 2023 until 31 December 2023 is due to be published shortly in line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals.

Wind Power: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) the Scottish Government and (c) manufacturers on the manufacture of wind turbines in Scotland.

Andrew Bowie: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State discusses a range of issues with Cabinet colleagues, Scottish Government representatives and companies, including offshore wind where relevant. The Government has announced the £960 million Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support manufacturing capacity, including for offshore wind. This will enable the UK to seize growth opportunities from the transition to net zero, unlocking private investment and creating new jobs. The Government works with industry and the Scottish Government, through the Offshore Wind Industry Council, to assess offshore wind supply chain needs and opportunities and develop a long-term Industrial Growth Plan.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress she has made on (a) meeting net zero targets and (b) reducing energy costs.

Graham Stuart: The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that it is on track to meet the third. The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy. The transitions set out in the Net Zero Strategy for every sector of the UK economy keep it on track for Carbon Budgets 4, 5 and 6, the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution, and net zero by 2050. A main driver of energy costs for consumers are movements in international gas prices. Prices have come down continually over the last 12 months, and the Default Tariff Cap is currently £1,928, which is less than half the level of this time last year when it reached £4,279 at the peak of the energy crisis. The Government is developing more home-grown sources of energy supply – including renewables – to reduce exposure to volatile international markets which, along with energy efficiency support for consumers, will help reduce energy costs.

Hospices: Energy

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to support hospices with energy costs.

Amanda Solloway: The Government recognises that organisations within the care sector including hospices have faced significant energy and other cost of living increases. The Government values the contribution that this sector makes in supporting the National Health Service and the wellbeing of vulnerable people. The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) provides a baseline level of support to all eligible non-domestic energy users paying the highest energy prices starting from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The EBDS unit discount is capped at £6.97 per megawatt hour (MWh) for gas and £19.61 per MWh for electricity. This will be subject to a wholesale price threshold of £107/MWh for gas and £302/MWh for electricity. Suppliers will automatically apply the baseline reduction to the bills.

Fuels: Prices

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the level of regional disparity in fuel prices.

Amanda Solloway: The Competition and Markets Authority’s road fuel market study found, with the exception of Northern Ireland, differences in average prices between the regions of the UK are relatively small but there was much wider variation between rural and urban categories than between them. The Government is committed to ensuring drivers get a fair deal for fuel and has a consultation on the PumpWatch scheme which will require petrol-filling stations to share price information within 30 minutes of a change. This will drive down prices by reigniting competition and empowering drivers to find the best deals. Petrol prices are now at a level not seen since the end of October 2021 following our work to bring transparency back to the market.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her latest estimate is of when a decision will be made on the AQUIND Interconnector project.

Graham Stuart: At this point It would not be appropriate to estimate how much more time is required for the re-determination of the application, given that it is dependent on representations that have not yet been made.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential national security risks of the AQUIND Interconnector Project.

Graham Stuart: The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence about this project. However, the Ministry of Defence can make representations to the Department via the planning process which will be handled in accordance with their security classification.

Department for Transport

Railway Stations: Access

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 July 2023 to Question 195428 on Railway Stations: Access, whether he has had recent discussions with the Great British Railways Transition Team on the accessibility audit of railway stations.

Huw Merriman: I was pleased to attend the event at Marylebone station last year to mark the final accessibility audit survey completed and have continued to engage in discussions with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT). My officials are now working with GBRTT to consider how best to make the accessibility audit data available to the public in a format that is both accessible and relevant to allow them to make more informed travel choices. We will announce further details in due course.

Railways: Emergencies

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help support Network Rail to respond to (a) severe weather and (b) other emergencies.

Huw Merriman: Network Rail and the wider industry are responsible for managing the effects of any risks affecting railway operations, and in anticipation of incidents, such as extreme weather conditions, industry works together to implement the necessary mitigations to ensure safety and minimise disruption.In 2022 the Department for Transport published the High-Level Output Specification (HLOS) which outlines the Secretary of State’s objectives for Network Rail’s operation, maintenance and renewal of railway infrastructure in England and Wales between 2024 and 2029—tied to a £44.1 billion funding settlement. The HLOS is clear that the rail network must be as resilient as reasonably possible to the effects of climate change and extreme weather.The Department works with Network Rail on preparations for a range of emergencies and civil contingencies, including sharing relevant risk assessments and supporting collaboration with partner organisations. When major emergencies affecting the railway occur, the Department engages closely with Network Rail to support effective collaboration and coordination across the rail industry. Network Rail has set aside £1.5 billion in risk funding for the next 5 years, as part of a process run and assured by the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road. This will help Network Rail manage the impact of unexpected events and emergencies.

Avanti West Coast: Standards

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Avanti West Coast's performance against its contractual service obligations.

Huw Merriman: Like all operators currently on a National Rail Contract, Avanti West Coast’s operational performance is assessed against agreed Quantified Targets. This component is evaluated annually against set criteria and considers all elements within the operator’s control.

Great British Railways: Costs

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of establishing Great British Railways.

Huw Merriman: The Government is committed to establishing Great British Railways (GBR). Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Rail Reform Bill, which is needed to establish GBR, will be taken forward this session. The cost of establishment and ongoing operations of GBR will be confirmed in the final business case.

Euston Station

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made appointing a development company to manage the delivery of Euston Station.

Huw Merriman: Following the Network North announcement on 4 October 2023, we are upping the ambition of the Euston redevelopment, to create a transformed ‘Euston Quarter’. Government continues to define and develop a range of development models and financing mechanisms to best meet the objectives of the ‘Euston Quarter’ including discussions with our key stakeholders and delivery partners. We will set out next steps in due course.

Railways: Birmingham and Greater Manchester

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Mayor of (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the West Midlands on steps to improve rail connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester.

Huw Merriman: The Secretary of State and I met with the Mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester on 31 January to discuss proposals to improve rail connectivity between the West Midlands and Manchester. The position on cancelling HS2 Phase 2 has not changed. We are already getting on with using the savings from HS2 Phase 2 to deliver Network North which will benefit more people in more places more quickly.

Railways: Fares

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in rail fares on trends in the level of passenger numbers.

Huw Merriman: The Department considers a range of factors when determining rail fare changes, including the impact on passenger demand. The Government intervened to cap regulated rail fares increases at 4.9%, 4.1 percentage points lower than the July RPI figure on which fare changes are usually based. This strikes a balance between offering lower fares to encourage passengers to use our rail network and supporting the rail industry while it gets back on good financial footing as it continues to deal with a revenue shortfall after the pandemic.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many home EV charging points have been installed in each of the last two years.

Anthony Browne: Government is working across Departments on methods to estimate the number of domestic chargepoints and will publish in the usual way once confirmed.

Driving Tests: Penzance

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking steps to reduce car practical driving test waiting times in Penzance; and if the DVSA will increase the number of available time slots for those tests in that area.

Guy Opperman: To increase the number of available test slots, the DVSA is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays; they are also buying back annual leave from driving examiners. They have deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October until the end of March. Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 46,900 extra car test slots each month. As of 29 January 2024, there were 533,785 car practical driving tests booked, and 130,965 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.As of 29 January 2024, there were 19 driving tests available to book within the 24-week booking window at Camborne driving test centre (DTC); the next nearest DTC to Penzance. The DVSA continues to monitor the deployment of its driving examiner resource. Where it identifies DTCs that require additional resource, if possible, it will redeploy staff to meet that demand.

Taxis: Licensing

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor the effectiveness of local taxi licensing authorities.

Guy Opperman: The Government provides guidance to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England to assist them in exercising their licensing function https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/licensing-of-taxis-and-phvs-for-local-authorities-in-england The Department for Transport uses its annual statistical survey of licensing authorities to help monitor uptake of the guidance.

Bus Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of bus service levels in England.

Guy Opperman: The Government is investing significant levels of funding to drive improvements to services and make them cheaper, including over £1 billion allocated in 2022 to help LTAs deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans, a further £1 billion redirected from HS2 to improve bus services in the North and the Midlands as part of Network North, and nearly £600 million to cap single bus fares at £2 from 1 January 2023 until the end of 2024. Bus service provision in England outside London remained at over 85% of pre-COVID levels in 2022/23, despite patronage dropping to 10% of pre-pandemic levels during the height of the pandemic. This is due to the Government providing unprecedented levels of funding to protect vital bus routes following the pandemic, totalling £2 billion between March 2020 and June 2023. The Government is also currently providing over £300 million to local transport authorities (LTAs) and bus operators to support and improve bus services until April 2025, on top of the nearly £260 million the Department for Transport makes available every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant to help run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to highlight (a) statutory and (b) Highway Code rules relating to idling vehicles.

Guy Opperman: Enforcement against idling is primarily the responsibility of Local Authorities, who have powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to drivers idling unnecessarily. Guidance for Local Authorities on idling enforcement makes clear that they should take steps to publicise the need to avoid idling to improve air quality and the penalties for failing to do so.

Roads: West Yorkshire

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to support West Yorkshire's strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport takes road safety for all road users seriously and is supportive of local initiatives to improve road safety. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the council’s road safety policies because the local council has responsibility for making decisions about local roads, based on its local knowledge and taking into account local needs.

Driving Licences

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to extend graduated driving licences from motorbike users to newly qualified car drivers.

Guy Opperman: The Department keeps driving licensing requirements under review, but there are not any plans to introduce any further restrictions on newly qualified car drivers.We have a form of restricting novice drivers though the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995. On acquiring their first full licence, a new driver is on ‘probation’ for two years. During this time, they are subject to a limit of six penalty points received for any driving offences (including any received when in the learning stage). If six or more points are received, then a driver’s licence is revoked and must apply again for a provisional licence, re-entering the learning stage.Two years after passing their first driving test, or on passing again after being subject to licence revocation under the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995, drivers enter the full licence stage. There are no restrictions in this stage beyond basic legal requirements. For new and novice drivers the Department’s broad aim is to improve road safety through new technology and research; and particularly for young drivers, developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging, while reinforcing vital road safety messages through our THINK! Campaigns.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2024 to Question 7457 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) attendance of meetings his Department has held with representatives of the motor insurance industry in the last 12 months.

Guy Opperman: Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance. The meetings tend to be informal so minutes and attendance at them are not kept.

Road Traffic

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish an update to the national road traffic projections.

Guy Opperman: The National Road Traffic Projections were last published in December 2022. The Department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and will publish an update in due course.

Travel: Concessions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national freedom pass for pensioners to utilise public transport across the United Kingdom.

Guy Opperman: Concessionary travel is a devolved policy area so the administrative arrangements in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ from those in England. The Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 does include a power to allow for mutual recognition of concessionary bus passes across the UK through regulations in the future, however there are no plans at present to introduce such an arrangement.

Large Goods Vehicles: Fuels

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is to respond to his Department's consultation on Increasing the weight limit for fuel tankers.

Guy Opperman: The Government is working to publish its response to the consultation on increasing the weight limit for fuel tankers. After the consultation closed, officials undertook further evidence gathering activities to better inform the response. This has led to some delays. Work is well-advanced and the intention is to publish the response before the Easter recess.

Driving Licences

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the waiting time is for replacement driving licences.

Guy Opperman: The average waiting time to process digital applications is typically around one day, if the transaction is successful, and casework or medical enquiries are not required. The average waiting time to process a straightforward paper application is around a week. For example, in December 2023, a replacement driving licence was issued within five working days.Driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer because the DVLA is often reliant on receiving information from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a decision can be made on whether to issue a licence. It is important to note that the majority of applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they have not been told not to drive by a doctor or optician.

Department for Transport: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Anthony Browne: The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty.The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are:made by Ministers of the Crown; andnot covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Department for Transport: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Anthony Browne: None.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to limit the use of LED bulbs in vehicle headlights.

Anthony Browne: All types of road vehicle headlamps are designed, tested and approved to internationally recognised standards to help prevent undue glare on a broad range of roads and environments. However, the Government is aware of concerns raised by members of the public in relation to headlamp glare and we are considering options for addressing this.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Staff

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons are fully staffed.

Edward Argar: Fully staffed’ has been interpreted as having Staff in Post full time equivalent (FTE) equal to or in excess of Target Staffing FTE for the establishment. Staff in Post and Target Staffing have been summed across all staffing grades, meaning that surpluses and deficits may exist within individual grades. Band 3 to 5 prison officers are considered the key operational grades and so we have additionally presented a comparison based on these grades alone.In reality, many establishments will routinely sit marginally below their Target Staffing level due to normal attrition and time to hire and so we would not expect establishments to run consistently at 100% staffing. To present a more realistic picture, we are presenting data which shows staffing compared to 97.5% of Target Staffing levels which we would assess as well within tolerance.Where prisons are not at their Target Staffing level they are routinely supplemented, for instance by the use of Payment Plus, a form of overtime, or agency staff for non-operational grades to ensure the minimum staffing level required by the Regime Management Plan is met and that a safe and decent regime can be delivered. This is not accounted for in this analysis. Similarly, the use of Detached Duty, a long-standing mechanism to deploy staff from one prison or region to support another, is also not reflected in the data. Factoring in these forms of temporary staffing would further increase the number of prisons considered at full staffing or 97.5% of Target Staffing. The use of tactical resourcing and, where necessary, population management at sites with higher levels of vacancies ensures that all prisons are able to operate regimes considered by HMPPS Operations to be safe and decent.As of September 2023, 70 out of 106 establishments in England and Wales had at least 97.5% of their target staffing level for band 3 to 5 prison officers. The equivalent figure when summing across all grades and roles is 56 out of 106 – however this includes business administrators, operational support grades, instructors, governor grades and other roles held in a prison.As of 30 September 2023, there had been an increase of 1,441 FTE (6.7%) band 3-5 prison officers compared to 30 September 2022 and resignation rates had fallen for this group to 8.6%. Since 2019, the starting salary increased for an entry level prison officer from £23,529 to £32,851 (national rate, 39-hour week with unsocial hours allowance). Further improvements will be evidenced in the next set of published data.Footnotes and caveatsData have been taken from Workforce Planning Tools, which are completed manually by the business each month and are subject to error.Data shows average resource across the month, adjusted for joiners and leavers in month.Target Staffing is the number of staff required to run an optimal regime in each prison. This level is greater than the minimum number of staff required for a prison to operate safely, and includes allowances for staff taking leave, being off sick or being on training.Target Staffing figures are set on a site-specific basis and vary in size.Target Staffing levels for key operational grades are established based on a 39-hour working week. Staff in Post FTE is set at 1.0 FTE for those on a 39-hour contract, 1.05 FTE for those on a 41-hour contract, and 0.95 FTE for those on a 37-hour contract.Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 Prison Officers (including specialists), Band 4 Supervising Officers, and Band 5 Custodial Managers.Data only includes staff employed by the Prison Service in public sector prison establishments and excludes private sector prisons / area offices and other prison related business units. Data includes the four Young Offenders Institutions (Cookham Wood, Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby).Adjustments have not been made for loans / secondments / temporary cover / agency staff or long-term absences (e.g. career breaks).

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2023 to Question 1357 on Prisoners' Release, if he will publish data in the prison releases quarterly publication on the number of releases under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme.

Edward Argar: The number of releases under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme (s248) will be published in due course when sufficient robust and comprehensive data is available. To support orderly release, its publication will be announced through the gov.uk release calendar.

Ministry of Justice: Ministerial Boxes

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Mike Freer: The following table includes the number of lost or stolen ministerial red boxes from the Ministry of Justice between 2021 and 2024. February 2021-February 2024Lost0Stolen0 The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.

Ministry of Justice: Environmental Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Mike Freer: The duty does not require the Ministry of Justice to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty.The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are:made by Ministers of the Crown; andnot covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Space Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many SMEs his Department awarded space defence sector contracts to in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023; and what steps he is taking to improve the ability of SMEs to access space defence contracts.

James Cartlidge: In 2021 the Ministry of Defence awarded no space defence sector contracts to SMEs; in 2022 we awarded five; and in 2023 we awarded 10. The MOD is supporting UK businesses through our Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Action Plan and wider initiatives with the Defence Suppliers Forum, maximising our strategic relationship with industry to deliver world class capability and support to the Armed Forces. We are encouraging our major suppliers to publish their own sub-contract opportunities through the Defence Sourcing Portal, making it easier for SMEs to find and bid for defence work. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, in close consultation with Defence, will make a further publication for the space sector in the coming months, which will increase growth and resilience in the UK space.

Ministry of Defence: Reorganisation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) objectives and (b) timelines are of Defence Design.

James Cartlidge: Defence Design is a top-down initiative seeking to develop the most efficient and effective way for Defence to operate and successfully achieve our outcomes in an ever more volatile world. To do this, we are undertaking a complete review of how we work as department, seeking to ensure we are a coherent system. The work started in spring 2023 and is anticipated to last between 18 and 24 months, which includes the need to simplify our processes and associated decision-making. As we design the future operating model, we will pilot improvements in priority areas across the system to drive change iteratively and quickly, aiming for significant changes to be in place from April 2024.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q112 of the oral evidence given by David Williams to the Public Accounts Committee on 22 January 2024, HC 451, what steps he is taking to increase access to semiconductors.

James Cartlidge: His Majesty's Government is actively and continuously assessing the national security implications around semiconductor supply chains and this forms a part of our strategy both domestically and internationally, working with Allies. Additionally, the MOD is working with industry through the Defence Suppliers Forum to determine potential actions to mitigate defence supply chain risks, particularly relating to semiconductors.

Type 23 Frigates: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the merits of adding anti-air close-in weapons systems to the Type 23 frigate.

James Cartlidge: The Department does not routinely disclose the specific capabilities of individual platforms, or the considerations for ongoing adaptions, but I can confirm that we routinely assess and review new technology and its integration into our ships.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to increase the defensive capabilities of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

James Cartlidge: The Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) carriers have a range of active and passive defensive systems. In addition, QEC generally operates as part of a wider task group (including other ships and rotary and fixed wing aircraft) providing a level of layered defence suitable for a range of threats.Specific threat planning is also considered for every deployment or contingency, and measures are taken to reduce or mitigate the anticipated threat in accordance with operational priorities.The threat - and the defensive systems the QEC carries - are kept under constant review.

Navy: Patrol Craft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase the capability of offshore patrol vessels operated by the Royal Navy.

James Cartlidge: The Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) are proven platforms supporting Maritime Security, Marine Enforcement and global Defence Engagement. The three Batch 1 River Class OPVs have been successfully patrolling the UK EEZ and North European waters for over 20 years, whilst the five forward deployed Batch 2 River Class OPVs are patrolling the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The capabilities of both classes are kept under constant review to ensure the ships can safely deliver their tasking.

Bowman Combat Radio System

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2024 to Question 10015 on Bowman Combat Radio System, what the budget is for the Bowman 5.7 project.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2024 to Question 10015 on Bowman Combat Radio System, what the delivery date is for Bowman 5.7.

James Cartlidge: The Bowman ComBAT Infrastructure and Platform (BCIP) 5.7 project delivery dates are subject to ongoing discussions and pending approvals in 2024. It would be prejudicial to commercial negotiations to reveal the Department’s budget for the BCIP 5.7 project.

Future Combat Air System: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 37 of the National Audit Office's report entitled The Equipment Plan 2023-2033, HC 315, published on 4 December 2023, what steps he is taking to improve the red rating from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority of the Future Combat Air System.

James Cartlidge: The current Future Combat Air System (FCAS) IPA rating reflects the early stage of this programme and the scale and complexity involved in the successful long-term delivery of a 6th generation fighter jet with ground-breaking technologies. The IPA recommendations have been accepted in full, and we have set out a clear roadmap with stakeholders to tackle the challenges identified within the report. FCAS is a ‘Tier A Active Programme’ for the IPA, meaning we are receiving direct support and have regular scrutiny and reporting requirements.

Ministry of Defence: Fujitsu

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q110 of the oral evidence given by David Williams to the Public Accounts Committee on 22 January 2024, HC 451, what the duration is for each of the contracts with Fujitsu.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q110 of the oral evidence given by David Williams to the Public Accounts Committee on 22 January 2024, HC 451, what the total value is for each of the contracts with Fujitsu.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 January 2024 to Question 8351, on the duration and value of the Ministry of Defence’s contracts with Fujitsu.Fujita Contracts (docx, 14.8KB)

Type 26 Frigates: Contracts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with BAE Systems on subcontractor work on the Type 26 programme.

James Cartlidge: BAE Systems are responsible for managing their subcontractors on the Type 26 programme, which the Ministry of Defence oversees. The Department has regular reviews with BAE Systems where overall performance, including that of subcontractors, is discussed. At the present time, sub-contracted fabrication work is undertaken by Cammell Laird, A&P Tyne and Ferguson Marine.

Defence: Public Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on when the 2.5% of GDP target for defence spending will be achieved.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 23 November to Question 2090 and to the reply given on the 27 November 2023 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Deane (Mr John Healey) in response to Question 3090.Defence: Finance (docx, 28.6KB)Defence: Expenditure (docx, 14.6KB)

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q128 of the oral evidence given by the Chief Executive, Defence Equipment and Support, to the Public Accounts Committee on 22 January 2024, HC 451, what steps he is taking to increase the number of master welders in defence manufacturing.

James Cartlidge: It is generally the responsibility of industry to develop and employ the skilled workforce they need to win and deliver Defence contracts. However, as identified in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) and more recently the Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCPR), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that it can help industry by being as transparent as possible about future requirements, thereby providing confidence for workforce planning and investment. To this end, the Department publishes its future pipeline of work via the Equipment Plan, Defence Capability Framework, Acquisition Pipelines, and sector strategies such as the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the Land Industrial Strategy.The MOD is engaged with the Engineering Council and with the Professional Engineering Institutes, including The Welding Institute, to enhance Defence's reputation as a lead employer for Professional Registration. The Head of Profession for Defence Engineering is engaged with the Defence Suppliers Forum and Defence Equipment and Support to consider the career proposition for young technicians and engineers within the defence sector. The Defence Engineering Profession is also working alongside the Professional Engineering Institutes to further standardise the recognition of training and engineering skills.

Ministry of Defence: Bullying and Harassment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 3.21 on page 8 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, if he will publish the civilian mediation policy and procedures document.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph c on page 16 of his Department's guidance entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution Part 2: Guidance - Informal Complaints Resolution Process, if he will publish the formal civilian bullying, harassment and discrimination complaints policy and procedures.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) externally publishes some Service and whole force (covering both Service personnel and civilian employees) policy and procedure documents, but does not routinely publish those that are civilian-only. Attached is a copy of the Civilian Mediation policy and the bullying, harassment and discrimination complaints policy. MOD officials have also reviewed our response to a previous Question (UIN 7288) that you tabled on 18 December 2023, and we have subsequently attached a copy of the Civilian Formal Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Complaint process too. Civilian Formal BHDV Complaints Policy (pdf, 3315.6KB)MOD Mediation Policy (pdf, 526.4KB)

Iraq: Military Aid

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what specialisms the Armed Forces are providing training to Iraqi Security Forces in Iraq.

James Heappey: UK training is focused on enhancing the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces in order to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh. This includes training on policy and strategy, planning, cyber security, human rights and women's empowerment.

Iraq: Armed Forces

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces are deployed in Iraq as of 29 January 2024.

James Heappey: Approximately 200 UK Service personnel were deployed on operations in Iraq as of Monday 29 January 2024.On any given day figures can vary due to routine force rebalancing, rest and recuperation periods and relief in place.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide military assistance to help support Ukraine's naval forces in winter 2023-24.

James Heappey: The UK, alongside Norway, is leading the Maritime Capability Coalition, to support the development of Ukraine's maritime capability. The UK has already trained 950 Ukrainian Marines and is working with coalition members to continue that training. We are working with the international community to develop Ukraine's counter-mine capabilities, and providing shore-to-ship missiles, air defence, and long-range systems. This will help Ukraine keep its shipping lanes clear of Russian mines and enable them to export grain and other commodities vital to their economy and long-term success.

Ministry of Defence: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

James Cartlidge: The 2021 Environment Act Environmental Principles duty does not apply to policy relating to the Armed Service, Defence and National Security. However, the Environmental Principles Policy Statement is taken account of as part of Ministry of Defence policy decisions making processes. As such under the Policy Statement there is no requirement to maintain a comprehensive list of policies published since 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are not covered by stated exemptions. The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty.

Armed Forces: Islamic Resistance in Iraq

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the level of risk posed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to service personnel (a) deployed on Op Shader and (b) otherwise serving overseas.

James Heappey: The force protection of UK service personnel deployed on Op SHADER and otherwise serving overseas is kept under constant review. For reasons of operational security, I am unable to comment on specific assessments or mitigations.

Brunei: Military Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enhancing British military assets in Brunei.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence is continually reviewing UK military assets in Brunei within the formal agreement held with the Sultan of Brunei. The Garrison Agreement is renewed every five years and the next renegotiation is due at the end of 2024. Analysis of lessons and assessing future opportunities for UK forces in Brunei will inform work to renegotiate the agreement.

Navy: Indo-pacific Region

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to increase the presence of strategic naval assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

James Heappey: Following the 2021 Integrated Review, the Ministry of Defence deployed two offshore patrol vessels, HMS TAMAR and HMS SPEY to the Indo-Pacific - the first permanent deployment for over 25 years. These ships conduct an extensive range of operational and engagement activity, strengthening our relationships with allies and partners. The HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH Carrier Strike Group deployed to the Indo-Pacific in 2021 and we are preparing for the next Carrier Strike Group deployment to the region. Defence intends to deploy Littoral Response Group (South), an agile and scalable amphibious capability, to the Indo-Pacific region later this year.

Navy: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are employed by the Royal Navy in roles relating to diversity and inclusion.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 1 February 2024, the Royal Navy has 15 personnel in roles relating to diversity, inclusion and equality.

Army: Recruitment

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Army spent on (a) recruitment campaigns and (b) other initiatives to help increase the diversity of its workforce in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Diversity, inclusion and respect sit at the heart of the Army's values and ethos. The Army aims to recruit and retain a diversity of talent and thought, drawing from all sections of society. The Army Race Action Plan which was published internally in April 2023 directs a number of actions to bring equity to career progression across all ranks and including personnel from ethnic minority backgrounds.This includes improving representation at all levels, gaining better access to talent, progressing all talent based only upon merit, improving and professionalising organisational culture and improving lived experience, retention and opportunities. The Army does not run campaigns designed specifically to increase diversity within the workforce, but diversity and inclusion is an integral part of all recruitment campaigns. The below table shows the overall costs of Army recruitment campaigns for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Financial YearFY 2020-21FY 2021-22FY 2022-23FY 2023-24Total £11,369,549£9,773,6039,361,444£9,161,373 The total for FY 2023-24 includes figures up to December 2023.

Gaza: Israel

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether intelligence on military operations has been shared with Israel during the conflict in Gaza.

James Heappey: Yes, I refer you to my written ministerial statement to Parliament on 5 December 2023, on the sharing of intelligence from UK Military Operations.Update on the situation in Israel and Gaza (docx, 14.3KB)

Gaza: Surveillance

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many surveillance flights has the Royal Air Force flown over Gaza since 7 October 2023.

James Heappey: The UK has deployed surveillance assets to improve our situational awareness in the region and provide assurance to our partners. For operational security reasons, I cannot comment on the specifics of this activity.

Israel: Air Force

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force operated planes have flown to Israel since 7 October 2023.

James Heappey: As of 2 February 2024, a total of 48 RAF operated aircraft have flown to Israel since 7 October 2023. These flights included aircraft used to transport Ministers and senior officials conducting diplomatic engagements with Israel.

USA: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the US Air Force has used any Royal Air Force bases in the UK to transfer weapons to Israel since 7 October 2023.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence does not comment on Allies' operations.

Israel: Air Force

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Israeli Air Force operated planes have (a) landed and (b) taken off from British territory since 7 October 2023.

James Heappey: Nine Israeli Air Force operated planes have taken off and landed from British territory since 7 October. These figures are based on official requests for diplomatic flight clearance that have been submitted by the Israeli Embassy in London, subsequently cleared by Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence: LGBT+ People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the inclusivity of his Department’s LGBT+ policies.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence is proud of all our LGBT+ military and civilian personnel, and the significant contribution they make to ensure national security, support our national interests, and safeguard our prosperity. It is essential to Defence operational effectiveness that we build a more inclusive and diverse organisation to achieve a stronger, healthier, and more resilient workforce and maximise the talent of all our people.We are committed to continue working with our LGBT+ networks to improve the lived experience of Service personnel and civilian staff. These networks provide excellent support to the LGBT+ community through conferences, communications, and engagement, and direct support to individuals as required.Our Armed Forces and civilian personnel regularly take part in London Pride, in addition to other Pride events across the country. Attendance at Pride events by Defence LGBT+ personnel is a powerful demonstration of how inclusive an employer Defence is and the extent to which we represent UK society. Uniformed personnel make a very public statement that you can be LGBT+ and serve your country. This challenges stereotypes and misconceptions held by serving personnel, potential recruits and gatekeepers, veterans, and the public.Defence is committed to taking forward restorative action for LGBT individuals who were impacted by historic policies. It is a priority for us to implement the vast majority of recommendations from the Lord Etherton report and guarantee that our LGBT+ personnel remain properly supported.Work is ongoing to update internal Defence policies and processes. We have streamlined the process for registering Armed Forces Chapels for marriage of both opposite sex and same sex couples, making it quicker and easier. Given that only two Armed Forces Chapels in England and Wales are currently registered for same-sex couples’ marriage, this change will have a highly positive impact on our LGBT+ community. Looking to the future, we are working to ensure this process is as fast as it can be, to affirm equal opportunity for our serving personnel, their close family members and veterans. We are also working to update the online human resources system for the Armed Forces with more declaration categories for faith and belief, gender, and sexual orientation. This will help to improve declaration rates which will allow us to target support where it is most needed.

Air Force: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are employed in diversity and inclusion roles in the Royal Air Force.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There are 14 people currently employed in diversity and inclusion roles in the Royal Air Force, with a further 10 positions to be recruited into.

Navy: Recruitment

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Royal Navy spent on (a) recruitment campaigns and (b) other initiatives to help increase the diversity of its workforce in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Royal Navy (RN) has spent the following amounts on recruitment campaigns: Financial YearCampaign Spend2020-21£18,982,5392021-22£16,719,6972022-23£16,547,488 The RN operates a recruit and marketing strategy which is Consciously Diverse and Actively inclusive and provides opportunity for all regardless of background. Therefore, the RN does not run marketing campaigns which are aimed specifically at people from certain backgrounds.

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2024 to Question 9179 on HMS Prince of Wales, whether the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre is involved in the assessment and identification of potential human remains recovered from the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales through unauthorised salvage operations.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Investigations into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales are still ongoing, it would not be appropriate to provide a response regarding human remains and the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre's involvement until these have concluded.

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2024 to Question 9179 on HMS Prince of Wales, whether the Government of Malaysia has asked for technical support in the assessment and identification of potential human remains recovered from the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales through unauthorised salvage operations.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Investigations into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales are still ongoing, it would not be appropriate to provide a response regarding human remains and the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre's involvement until these have concluded.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Discharges

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outflow was from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 15 November 2023 to Question 54.Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Recruitment (docx, 17.4KB)

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: Women

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of female civil servants in the Crown Prosecution Service were employed on temporary contracts in each of the last three years.

Robert Courts: For the financial year ending 31 March 2021, of all female civil servants employed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 6.1% (274) were employed on temporary contracts. This equates to 4% of all CPS workforce headcount.For the financial year ending 31 March 2022, of all female civil servants employed by the CPS, 5.9% (279) were on temporary contracts. This equates to 3.9% of all CPS workforce headcount.For the financial year ending 31 March 2023, of all female civil servants employed by the CPS, 2.9% (147) were on temporary contracts. This equates to 1.9% of all CPS workforce headcount.

Cabinet Office

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Data Protection

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on lessons learned from data breaches.

Alex Burghart: The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is devolved and has operational independence. It is for the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) to monitor and provide oversight of PSNI performance.The PSNI and the NIPB commissioned an independent review into the data breach and a report was published on 11 December 2023.The Government’s focus following the data breaches of August 2023 was on providing specialist support and expertise to the PSNI in its handling of this issue. Officials in the Cabinet Office chaired regular operational meetings - initially daily - bringing together the PSNI, Government Departments and the Security Services, to ensure that their collective skills, including cyber-expertise, were brought to bear in supporting the PSNI.The Government published on 14 December 2023 technical guidance relating to the approach to be taken by FOI practitioners across central government when a requestor asks for disclosure in a spreadsheet format.

Cabinet Office: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Alex Burghart: The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty.The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are:made by Ministers of the Crown; andnot covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government.The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty.

Civil Servants: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many veterans have been employed as a result of the guaranteed interview civil service scheme for veterans since that scheme began.

Johnny Mercer: There are a range of Civil Service recruitment initiatives for veterans, offering a fulfilling career in public service which makes the most of the skills and capability they have to offer.Over 1,000 veterans to date have secured a job in the Civil Service through the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ initiative and a further 200 veterans have been recruited through the 'Going Forward Into Employment' initiative.The Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative enables veterans who meet the minimum criteria to progress to the next stage of the application process, which is usually an interview.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Innovation and Research: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the current threshold for higher education innovation funding on smaller universities and colleges; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing that threshold.

Andrew Griffith: Research England are reviewing the level of allocation threshold used as part of the formula for making Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) allocations which is currently £250,000. An update will be provided prior to the start of the next academic year.

Space: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the cost to the public purse was of her Department's expenditure on (a) space research and (b) promoting the commercialism of space research.

Andrew Griffith: The Department for Science Innovation and Technology supports expenditure on space research as well as promoting the commercialisation of space research. The information is not available in the format requested as the Department’s spend cannot be accurately broken down into these two categories. The UK Space Agency is the executive agency responsible for delivering the UK’s civil space programme. UKSA’s total budget, including earth observation, for the current spending review period is nearly two billion pounds. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports a diverse portfolio of research and innovation initiatives. Approximately £540m of the UKRI budget covered by the current spending review period includes research on space.

Space

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) monitor and (b) increase the demographic diversity of the space sector workforce; and what steps she is taking to tackle skills shortages in the space sector.

Andrew Griffith: The 2023 Science and Technology Framework highlights the importance of a more diverse range of people entering science and technology roles.  The annual Size & Health of the UK Space Industry Report monitors gender in the workforce through an optional industrial survey, and government is exploring ways to expand beyond gender in future iterations. The UK Space Agency is also further developing monitoring and evaluation plans for its Inspiration Programme.

Space

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Space Sector Plan.

Andrew Griffith: The Space Sector plan will be published in March 2024.

Public Sector: Companies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many spin-outs from public sector bodies the Government Office for Technology Transfer has supported with (a) financial grants and (b) knowledge asset management advice.

Andrew Griffith: The Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) does not directly support spinout companies. GOTT provides funding, advice, networks and guidance to public sector organisations to support the exploitation of public sector Knowledge Assets (such as intellectual property and data) to deliver economic, social, and financial benefits to the UK.

Catapult Centres

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how her Department  evaluates (a) each of the nine Catapults within the Catapult Network and (b) the Catapult Network as a whole.

Andrew Griffith: Innovate UK has put in place comprehensive monitoring and evaluation frameworks for each Catapult for the next five years. These will provide robust evidence of impact and value for money for the public funding provided, with regular data analysis and reporting. Evidence of impact at network level is published at https://www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ERC-Insight-Evaluating-the-medium-term-business-performance-effects-of-engaging-with-the-Catapults-network-VaninoRoper.pdf and https://www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ERC-Report-Catapulting-into-the-Innovation-System-Vanino-Roper.pdf.

Innovation: Training

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK Innovation Strategy published on 14 November 2021, what steps her Department has taken with NESTA to identify and test ways to improve and scale up the opportunities that young people have to develop innovation skills and mindsets from an early age.

Andrew Griffith: My Department works with a range of partners, including NESTA, to unlock untapped talent for innovation in the UK through initiatives such as the Young Innovators Programme, and Women in Innovation Awards.

Innovation and Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK Innovation Strategy published on 14 November 2021, what funding the Government has provided for a University Commercialisation and Innovation Policy Evidence Unit in Cambridge to build the UK’s evidence base on commercialisation.

Andrew Griffith: Research England has awarded the University Commercialisation and Innovation Policy Evidence Unit £2,449,883 in two grants running from July 2020 to March 2025.

Broadband: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the roll out of fibre broadband.

Julia Lopez: As of January 2024, ThinkBroadband reports that over 80% of premises in the UK can now access a gigabit capable connection. To date, most of this rollout has been achieved by the commercial market. Government acknowledges that there are premises that remain outside of the scope of the commercial build plans despite the commercial market going further than originally expected. These premises are some of the hardest and most expensive to reach in the UK and therefore require government subsidy if we are to achieve our ambition of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030. Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion investment in ensuring the premises which would otherwise be left out of commercial plans, get access to a gigabit capable connection. As of December 2023, we have 16 Project Gigabit contracts in place worth approximately £667 million of government subsidy. This, combined with the ongoing procurements equals more than £2 billion of investment to support the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband. We expect more procurements to go live and further contracts to be awarded and signed within the coming months. For further updates on progress, including information on Project Gigabit procurements, Building Digital UK (BDUK) releases a quarterly update on progress towards our mission of nationwide coverage by 2030 with the latest being published in December 2023.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Recreation Spaces: Sales

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many public parks and green spaces have been sold by local councils in each year since 2015 by (a) constituency and (b) region.

Jacob Young: The information requested is not held centrally.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the increase to council parking charges in each year since 2015.

Jacob Young: The information you asked for is not centrally collated.

Leasehold

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to review the £250 threshold for triggering a consultation procedure under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

Lee Rowley: Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is designed to ensure leaseholders are better informed about proposals and costs of upkeep and maintenance of the building, and that they have more time to ensure they can make suitable finance arrangements. We will continue to keep the threshold for consultation under review.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral evidence hearing of the Holocaust Memorial Bill Committee on the afternoon of 24 January 2024, whether he has had discussions with his Department's Counsel on the press release issued by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation and the Cabinet Office entitled Adjaye Associates and Ron Arad Architects win UK Holocaust Memorial International Design Competition; for what reason his Counsel contradicted the assertion that Sir David Adjaye was the lead designer of the architecture for that memorial; and if will take steps to draw that press release to the Committee's attention.

Simon Hoare: Counsel for the Secretary of State correctly drew the Select Committee’s attention to the role of the late Asa Bruno in designing the Holocaust Memorial. Mr Bruno’s evidence to the planning inquiry summarised the position as follows:“I am co-founder and Director of Ron Arad Architects Ltd, the architectural practice acting as Memorial Architect for the project, and I am leading the role of Memorial Architect on behalf of the practice.”

Burlington House: Tenancy Agreements

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the final offers from the Learned Societies for long-term leases on Burlington House.

Simon Hoare: Discussions with the Learned Societies are ongoing with regards to finding a viable solution that can deliver value for taxpayers and enable them to remain in their historic home at New Burlington House.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Ethnic Groups

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of racial bias in football; and what estimate she has made of the number of off-pitch roles for former black male footballers.

Stuart Andrew: The Government's aim is to increase diversity among sporting organisations and to help the sport sector be more inclusive and welcoming to its spectators, participants and people in its workforce. In August 2023 we published our sport strategy “Get Active” which has diversity and inclusion embedded throughout.It is for football organisations to assess levels of diversity in the sport and the number of off-pitch roles for former black footballers, and to decide on the appropriate initiatives to increase diversity in their organisations. The Football Association recently announced they will be evolving their Leadership Diversity Code to be mandatory for all professional clubs. I hope this will provide the data needed to assess any work that may need to be done to help football become as diverse as the community it represents.I will continue to engage with football authorities on such issues.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Julia Lopez: The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty.

Football: Equality

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Football Leadership Diversity Code.

Stuart Andrew: The Government's aim is to increase diversity among sporting organisations and to help the sport sector be more inclusive and welcoming to its spectators, participants and people in its workforce.It is for The Football Association (FA) to assess the impact of their Football Leadership Diversity Code. I recently met with The FA to discuss the Code, including changes to make the reporting of diversity data mandatory for all professional clubs in the English Leagues from the 2024/2025 football season - as well as new requirements for workforce data on LGBT+ and disability. I will continue to monitor the progress of the Code and hope it contributes to a positive impact on diversity in the sport.

Leader of the House

Government Departments: Written Questions

Stella Creasy: To ask the Leader of the House, what proportion of named day questions were answered on or before the relevant named day by (a) all Government Departments and (b) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in (i) the 2022-23 Parliamentary Session and (ii) the current Parliamentary session.

Penny Mordaunt: Data on response times to all written parliamentary questions is held by the House, rather than the Government. The ​Procedure ​Committee reports on departmental performance following the end of each Parliamentary Session, the most recent of which can be found on parliament.uk (https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1245/written-parliamentary-questions/publications), and the Government looks forward to receiving the Committee’s report on data from the 2022-23 Session. The Hon. Member may wish to approach the House regarding data for the current Parliamentary session.